I Think I Wanna Marry You
by sleepy1177
Summary: Tris and Four are in an unhappy, loveless relationship that neither of them have the courage to end until Tris gets drunk and marries Eric, her friend and fellow leader. This story follows their life after marriage. Slightly AU, OOC, non-canon, Eris with mentions of FourTris. Rated M for language, adult situations and lemons.
1. Drunken Commitments

**AN: Choosing age for this story is 18. Eric, Four, Zeke and Shauna are 21, Tris and her friends are 19. I don't own these characters, just my ideas. Enjoy :)**

Chapter 1: Drunken Commitments

Tris POV

"Eric, I have to say again, great work with training Tris. She's going to be an excellent addition to leadership." Max says, while going over the last papers in the file Eric brought to his office. "And Tris, we're thrilled to have you. You're going to be an asset to our team, and your familiarity with Abnegation is invaluable. We should get out of here early and celebrate. It's not every day a leader in training is promoted to full leader in less than a year."

"Thank you Max, and really a lot of the credit should go to Eric. He pushed me to my limits, but without him I don't think I would have been able to come so far." I reply. It's true, the ruthless young dauntless leader and I didn't always see eye to eye, but we begrudgingly became friends over the course of my leadership training, and over time I learned that there is a decent person buried beneath the tough as nails persona. I glance over at him and see him smiling. He should definitely smile more often, when he does he actually looks his age. He catches me staring at him, but it just makes him smile again.

"Stiff, stop kissing ass. You have the job." He smirks. "Besides, you did great. Stop being so Abnegation. Max, I agree, let's get the hell out of here and celebrate. Want to head to the Pit?"

"Sure, let me lock up here and I'll be ready." Max replies.

"I just need to go by my apartment and change my shoes, these heels are killing me" I groan, cursing Christina again for her fashion choices.

"Ok, see everyone in 20 minutes." Max says, Eric and I both nod and head out of Max's office.

"So are you really gonna change your shoes, or is that code for a quickie with number boy?" Eric asks, chuckling.

"You are such an ass. Besides, you've been my sounding board enough to know that isn't happening." I roll my eyes at him. My relationship with Four had been shaky at best, and for months he's been cold and unloving. His increasing jealousy over my choice to join leadership caused more than one screaming fight, and we've not been in a good place. Surprisingly, Eric has been one of the few people I've been able to talk to about my failing relationship. Even though he refuses to be in a relationship himself, he has some extremely good advice, remaining neutral even though it's no secret that he can't stand Four, and if I'm being honest he's been a great friend. There are times where I find myself wondering what a relationship with Eric and me could be like, but he sends me so many mixed signals that it makes my head spin. Besides, there are times that I feel like I should try harder to make things work with Four. My love life is so damn confusing.

"He's an idiot." Eric mutters. "I'll see you in 20 minutes."

I lock my office and head to my apartment. Once inside I kick off my heels right by the front door. I'm startled to hear the shower running, Four is working late in the control room and no one else has keys. Curiously I head towards the bathroom and hear moaning, and I must admit I get a little turned on thinking about Tobias pleasuring himself. I decide to be bold and join him in the shower, thinking some quick hot makeup sex could maybe push our relationship in a better direction. It's been months since he and I have been intimate, and I'm surely in need. If nothing else, it'd be much more adventurous than he's ever been willing to be with me. Four still treats our sex life like our Abnegation upbringing taught us, and I'm more than ready for a Dauntless life.

When I open the door, I'm shocked to see Four pinning some girl against our shower wall, fucking her brains out. They are so engrossed in their activities that neither of them notice me standing there. I hear her calling him Tobias, and him telling her how much he loves her. Words that he's not said to me in months.

I close the door behind me, stumble into our bedroom and find the closest pair of comfortable shoes I can grab. I quickly leave the apartment, and numbly walk directly to the Pit on autopilot. Eric and Max are already sitting at a table and they wave me over.

Eric immediately must notice something. "Stiff, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just need a drink." I reply. Eric shakes his head slightly like he wants to say something else, but Max speaks up.

"Want me to order your usual wine, Tris?" Max asks.

"Not tonight. I want to let loose, and I need to not remember anything. What do you guys suggest?" I ask.

Eric quirks his pierced eyebrow at me, then glances over at Max. "Well Stiff, Tequila is always fun. You're usually a wine drinker though, think you can handle it?" He smirks.

"Try me." I reply with a matching smirk.

Max smiles widely "Now that's the celebration I was looking for!" He heads over to the bar to place our drink orders and Eric scoots closer to me.

"Seriously Stiff, what's wrong? You look like you're in shock." He asks. I open my mouth to answer as Max sits back down with a full bottle of tequila, some limes, salt and three shot glasses.

"Let's get this party started!" He says, pouring us each a shot.

Several shots later, Max's wife Dana has joined our little party. She gives me a quick hug before sitting down next to Max.

"Congratulations Tris! We are so proud of you." She says.

"Thanks Dana." I reply with a smile.

"So where's Four? He should be here for this celebration. Let me call down to the control room." Max asks.

"Fuck no. I'm done with that asshole. Besides, he's definitely not working in the control room at the moment. Unless maybe he was on an extended break when I got home." I reply, my current state of inebriation giving me no filter. Eric's eyes widen, and he's staring intently into mine. I see Max and Dana's shocked faces. "Anyway, this is a party, let's have fun. Dana, you need to catch up with us!" I say.

I can tell by the look Eric is giving me that he wants an explanation, but to his credit he's not pushing. There's a different look in his eyes than his normal glare or smirk.

Soon, our bottle is gone, and Max is signaling for another. Dana and Max are showing no inhibitions, and seeing our fearless leader sneaking kisses like a teenager with his wife is actually kind of cute.

"Excuse us for a little while, I'm going to take my lovely wife for a spin on the dance floor." Max extends his hand to Dana and they join the crowded dance floor.

A waitress brings another bottle over and Eric looks at me.

"I wanna try something. You game, Stiff?" He asks me, voice softened by liquor.

"Sure." I reply, mirroring his intense gaze.

He pulls my chair closer to him and gently brushes my hair over my shoulder. He leans in, and begins kissing my neck. I moan at the surprising contact, and when he starts dragging his tongue across my neck a shiver goes through me. He then shakes some salt on the spot he just kissed, and brings a lime wedge up to my lips. "Open up" he says.

I open my lips and take the lime wedge, holding it for him. He licks the salt off of my neck, takes his shot and presses his mouth against mine to get the lime. I can feel heat from my cheeks and down my neck. He's so close to me we're sharing the same air. He leans in, ghosts his lips across mine and says "Your turn."

I grab his hand and bring it to my mouth. I take the webbing between his thumb and index finger, gently lick my tongue across it and pour some salt on it. I offer him the lime wedge, which he places between his lips. I lick the salt off of his hand, and then take his index finger into my mouth, sucking on it for a few seconds. Eric takes in a sharp breath, and I can see the lust in his eyes. I down my shot, then lean in and remove the lime wedge from his lips using my tongue. I toss the lime into my empty glass and within seconds Eric is crashing his lips to mine. We kiss hungrily, mouths open, tongues dancing together until we hear Max laughing. "Holy shit, what am I witnessing?"

Eric and I spring apart, both surprised at the heated kiss we just shared. "No fucking clue." I laugh. Holy shit, we just kissed. I've thought about kissing him for months, and I've often caught him looking at my lips. I glance in his direction now and catch him staring at me. He smiles quickly at me, and puts his arm around my back, resting on the back of my chair.

"I think we need more shots." Dana quickly lines up our glasses and pours us each a shot which we all down quickly.

"Ok, Tris, not to bring up a sore subject but are you gonna tell us what happened with Four?" Dana asks.

"Sure, I'll tell you. The asshole was banging some whore in our shower when I went home to change my shoes, and he was telling her how much he loves her while she calls him Tobias, and we all know how many people he allows to call him by his real name." Dana has a look of complete horror, Max of shock and Eric is looking at me with almost tenderness. "It's whatever, not like he's wanted a damn thing to do with me since I started training for leadership." I wave my hand "Tonight he just gave me the push I needed to dump his sorry ass." Dana shakes her head and Max pours me another shot.

"You caught him in the act? Oh my gosh, you poor thing. How did he react?" Dana asks.

"They didn't even realize I had walked in, they were entirely too busy to notice me. I don't even need to have a conversation with him. Our relationship, and I use that term loosely, has been shit for months now. We've done enough talking in that time, and I should have left his ass a long time ago. Tonight was just the final straw."

"Tris, I'm so sorry to hear that. You deserve so much better than him." Dana squeezes my hand. "I'm confident you'll have no trouble finding a better man." She winks at me and gestures towards Eric.

"Here's to drinking that cheating asshole away, and to our Tris finding someone who is worthy of her." Max says. We clink our glasses and down our shots.

Eric looks over at me, "Wanna dance?"

"You actually dance?" I laugh.

"Come find out" he offers me his hand and I take it. Both of us are pretty buzzed, so we keep our hands entwined and work our way through the crowd. The bass of the drum seems to vibrate between us, and soon we are pressed together moving in sync. I turn around so my back is pressed to his chest, and I lean back towards him. He snakes his arms around me, running his hands over my bare arms. The way he's touching me, and the way our bodies are moving in sync gives me chills. He moves my hair over to one side, and starts kissing my exposed neck. He turns me so I'm facing him and presses his lips softly to mine. He kisses his way up to my ear and says "You're coming home with me tonight, and you can stay with me as long as you need."

"You just want in my pants." I reply.

"I definitely want in your pants but that is not why I'm offering." He says, sucking on my neck.

"You're drunk." I reply.

"Tris are you drunk right now?" He asks.

"Buzzed, feeling good, but not drunk. And you just called me Tris" I smirk.

"If you're not drunk, then you know I'm certainly not either, Stiff." He smirks back.

"I'm not one of your conquests, Eric."

"I don't want you to be a conquest." He replies, then kisses me again. "You are so much more."

"I can't take you seriously when your tongue is in my mouth Eric." We start kissing passionately, bodies pressed together moving to the beat.

Max stands up, whistles loudly and waves a new bottle of tequila at us, gesturing for us to join him at the table.

"This isn't going to drink itself, kids." He laughs. We proceed to drink the bottle of tequila, and soon find that none of us are feeling any pain. We're all laughing together, occasionally dancing and soon Eric and I are full on making out again.

"Come home with me." He says, biting my bottom lip.

"Nope. You just wanna fuck me and leave me. Just like everyone else." I say, gesturing with my hands towards the rest of the bar.

"That's not even remotely true, Tris, you're not a conquest for me." He's kissing my jawline and up to my ear. At this rate we're going to be going for it right on this table.

"Prove it." I say.

"Max, can you marry us?" Eric asks. Max and Dana laugh.

"Son, we're already married." He says while stroking his wife's hair.

"Fuck, not what I meant. Can you marry me and Tris?"

"I know I'm drunk but did you just ask me to marry you two?" Max laughs. Dana falls into a fit of giggles.

"Let's do it." I say. Everyone at the table stops laughing and looks at me. "Why not?"

"We are all drunk right now. Let's talk about this tomorrow." Max replies.

"If we change our minds tomorrow we'll just ask you to not file it. Come on, it'll be fun!" I giggle, grabbing Eric's hand. Eric looks shocked but he quickly recovers and looks at Max.

"Come on, old man. Dana will you be our witness?" He asks.

Dana nods and Max shrugs. "You kids are crazy. If I refused to perform marriage ceremonies for drunk people no one would ever be married in Dauntless. Let's go to my office." We all stumble our way there.

Max looks around for a marriage license. "Ok, sign where it makes sense to sign" he says, waving it around.

Eric and I both sign it, Max and Dana witness it, and Max looks at us and asks "You want to say something?"

Eric looks at me and laughs. "Um, Stiff I promise to not fuck whores in our bathroom, to not be a jealous dick to you, to treat you like the queen you are and to fuck you senseless in every single way every chance you give me."

I laugh. "Eric, I promise to kick your ass if you try to be a jerk to me, to fuck you so good that you wouldn't ever want to even look at another woman, to give you blow jobs on demand and to make you laugh every time you give me that stupid glare."

"How romantic." Dana laughs while Max is shaking his head. Everyone bursts out laughing, and it takes several minutes to compose ourselves.

"Ok, those are the best vows ever to be spoken in the history of everything. I pronounce you married. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Coulter."

Eric looks at me, grins, then kisses me hard. We are soon full on making out, hands wandering. Max slaps Eric on the back of the head.

"Go home for that, now get the fuck out of my office so I can take advantage of my wife." Max yells.

Eric and I stumble out of Max's office and into my office. I shut the door and lock it. He quickly picks me up under my thighs and presses me against the wall. He sucks on my lips, then runs kisses all down my neck. He lays me back on my desk, and pulls his shirt over his head and I swear he's built like a Greek god. His tattoos and piercings just accentuate the muscles and his smooth light skin. He reaches for my shirt and quickly pulls it over my head. He unhooks my bra and slips it off, tossing it behind him. I'm unbuckling his pants while we're kissing each other deeply. He kicks off his boots, pulls my shoes off and reaches for my pants. Once all of our clothes are discarded on the floor, he stands back and just looks at me.

"You are so gorgeous." He bends over me and takes one of my nipples into his mouth, sucking it, then gently biting while he massages the other breast. He stands up, pulls me so I'm on the edge of my desk, then sits in my desk chair. I'm spread in front of him, and he runs a finger across my slit. "So wet. I've been waiting to do this since you jumped first." He quickly dives into me, licking and sucking my clit. I'm moaning and wiggling, he takes one hand to hold my hips down while taking his other hand and pumping 2 fingers into me. He quickly brings me to my orgasm and then pulls me onto his lap so I'm straddling his legs. We kiss each other hungrily, tongues battling for dominance.

"Do you have protection?" I ask.

"I don't want to use a condom with my wife." He growls. "I'm clean and I haven't had sex in almost 8 months."

"I'm clean too, and I always used condoms with the jackass." I reply. "Plus I'm on the shot now, not that it mattered with him since I haven't gotten laid in months." I giggle.

Eric quickly thrusts his hips upwards, sliding into me with one motion. "Holy shit, you are tight." He moans.

He's much larger than Four, so I take a moment to adjust then I slowly begin riding him. He's sucking on my nipple while pinching the other, and we soon find a good rhythm. I bend forward so I can kiss his neck. I run my tongue along his jawline and up to his ear. He moans. I feel my release building up, so I lean back and he rubs my clit. "That feels so good. I'm gonna cum." I barely have the words out before I fall apart. Eric picks me up, lays me back on my desk and thrusts into me. He leans over and kisses me passionately, then laces our fingers together and brings them over my head, pinning my hands down. He quickens his pace and whispers into my ear "I'm fucking my wife. This is amazing. Tell me how it makes you feel."

"My husband is an amazing lover. He has a perfect cock." I moan. He pulls me up so he can kiss me hard. He pounds harder into me and grunts, calling my name as he's spilling his seed deep inside of me. He kisses my neck softly, then pulls back a bit so he can look into my eyes. We stay there for a moment, before he slowly pulls out of me. He reaches for my hands and pulls me close so that my legs are on either side of him. He hugs me tightly.

"Now do you believe me?" He asks.

"You did just get into my pants." I reply, then laugh.

"As your husband." He sighs, but gives me a lopsided grin.

"At least for tonight."

"Are you coming home with me now?"

"Absolutely!" I giggle.

We grab our clothes, dressing as best we can in our drunken state, and he leads me out of the office by hand. We somehow make it to his apartment, stumble into his bedroom and quickly fall asleep.


	2. The Morning After

Chapter 2: The Morning After

Tris POV

I crack one eye open and quickly determine its entirely too bright. "Ugh" I moan. "Turn out the bright." I feel arms tighten around me, and hear a grunt from behind me.

"Shhhh. You're talking too loud." He says.

I see the maze tattoos on the arms around me and realize it's Eric. "Holy shit, I didn't dream all of that?" I ask.

"It depends." He grumbles.

"Well, we're almost fully clothed, so I'm guessing that I don't quite know what is reality and what's a dream." I chuckle.

"What do you remember, Stiff?"

"Lots of tequila. Body shots. Making out. You calling me Tris." I reply.

"That all happened." He chuckles.

"What do you remember?" I ask.

"Lots of tequila. Body shots. Making out. Marrying you in Max's office, then having amazing sex in your office." He replies.

"We didn't really get married, did we?" I laugh.

"It's not legal till its filed. Is marrying me such a bad thing Stiff?" He replies.

"Well, considering you still call me Stiff, and that love is usually a good thing to have in a marriage, I'm thinking the tequila made the decision for us last night. Although, I'm quite pleased to know that the office sex really happened because it was fucking amazing." I sigh.

"It really was. I've waited a long time for that, _Tris_." He replies with emphasis on my real name.

I turn around to face him. "Really?"

"Really. You're not just some quick fuck, or even a conquest. You're more than that. I've wanted you for a long time, I just was waiting for my chance." He replies.

"Why did you wanna marry me? Is this more of the bullshit fighting between you and Four?" I ask.

"While I do love making that prick angry, I certainly wouldn't make a life changing commitment just to get under his skin."

"So why make the life changing commitment then?" I ask.

"You thought I just wanted to get into your pants, or treat you like a conquest. I wanted to prove to you that you mean more to me than that." He replies. "I didn't marry you because I was drunk. I did it because I wanted to be with you, and I took the chance that maybe you wanted it too."

"You actually want to be married? To me?"

"Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because it's crazy. You tormented me throughout initiation and training. Most of the time you act like you want to kill me. I've thought you barely tolerated me all throughout leadership training. Plus, in every single conversation we had about my fucked up relationship, you were adamant that you didn't do relationships." I reply.

"I kept you at arms length for awhile because I have feelings for you, and I'm not in the practice of stealing another mans girl, even if I hate the bastard. I've spent the last almost year getting to know you, and letting you know me. I don't let people see the side of me that I share with you. As for my reluctance to be in a relationship, of course I said that to you because you were the only person I wanted to be with, and you were with someone else. Was last night just a drunken mistake for you, Tris?" He asks.

"Eric I do see a different side to you, which is why we've become so close. Last night wasn't a mistake, I don't do drunken mistakes. I definitely don't do casual sex or one night stands either."

"Which is exactly why I knew I needed to prove that I want a real commitment from you."

"It seems like we skipped many stages of a relationship though." I laugh.

He pulls me closer to him and I can feel his laugh rumble through his chest. "Ok, you have a point there. So, we did everything backwards. How about we give this a real shot? There's obviously something here between us, and if we don't work we can split up."

"But, that's divorce Eric. Do you really want to have to go through that if this doesn't work?"

"I'm willing to take that chance. I've waited for you long enough."

"I don't get it Eric, why me? Why marriage? Why not just tell Max not to file the license and we try dating?"

"It's a lot simpler than you think. I don't have some grand scheme cooked up, and I would never use you as a casual fling. I've loved you for awhile, but I've been waiting for you to finally come around and realize it. I get that you probably love Four, but I'm asking for a chance here to see if you could love me. I'm not the jerk that people think I am, I just need to act a certain way to earn respect around here. Before you, I was the youngest leader that Dauntless ever had, and no one wanted to take a teenager seriously. I became a hard ass, and it works for me. You are the first person to see through that and see me for who I really am. I don't need to go through all of what society deems is acceptable for the path to marriage. I want you, and I've patiently waited for you for almost a year."

His admission floors me. Eric is not an emotional guy. While we have become friends over the past 8 months of leadership training, and there have been definite moments of flirting, I never thought he would want any type of commitment, and certainly not with me. It's hard not to be attracted to Eric, physically he's perfect, and mentally he's the sharpest and smartest person I've ever met. He's always challenged me both mentally and physically, pushing me to almost my breaking point. Looking back, I realize that we've had many effortless personal conversations too, and our friendship turned into one of the easiest friendships I've ever had. He never overstepped his boundaries, and always offered neutral advice when I would open up about the problems between Four and me. He's always been able to read my moods and he neither coddles me or forces me to talk about things. If I'm truly being honest with myself, I know that it was much more than tequila that drew me to him last night.

"I just thought of something. You said you hadn't been intimate with anyone in almost 8 months. Why?"

"It's when I realized I had feelings for you." He replies.

"Eric, this was a spur of the moment thing. I can't get hurt again. Four claimed to love me, but he spent months treating me like I was just a fixture in the apartment. What happens when the novelty of getting his girl wears off?"

"There's no novelty with you Tris. Four and I are different, he's great at putting on the outward appearance of being caring and gentle, but inside he's not a good person. I saw through him when we went through initiation together. I'm good at playing the part of a jerk, and believe me I can be just as ruthless as necessary when protecting Dauntless and the people I love, but I do know I'm a good person. I don't have to pretend with that. I would never hide anything from you, I would never betray your trust and I would always talk to you if there are things that bother me. None of the shit that number boy pulled." He replies.

He's absolutely right. I've seen Eric for who he really is. He's always had a tough exterior, but with me he's thoughtful and gentle. Four always appears to be kind, but behind his mask is a very controlling, insecure and paranoid person. Eric may be harsh with his choice of words and his actions, but he is always honest.

"Ok." I reply.

"Ok? What exactly does ok mean Tris?"

"Let's give this marriage all we've got. I know you think I'm in love with Four, but I'm not. I think I was at one point, but he pushed me away when he refused to support my decisions. I want the chance to know you better."

Eric leans in and presses his lips to mine. It starts off as a gentle kiss, he licks my lips asking for entrance and I open my mouth so he can slip his tongue to mine. We don't deepen any further, we just share kisses while holding each other.

"Come on, let's get out of here. We should grab breakfast, and go see Max." He says.

We shower, together, and quickly get dressed and head down to the cafeteria. I look around and see my friends, but thankfully no sign of Four. My friends are accustomed to seeing me with Eric, and he often has joined our table for meals, so when we sit down together no one thinks anything of it. I've been very lucky to maintain my close friendships even when leadership training took up the majority of my time. I was pleasantly surprised when Eric and I became friends he not only made a real effort to get to know my friends, but they also accepted him too.

"Good morning fearless leaders." Christina says.

We greet Chris, Will, Uri and Marlene. We all make small talk while eating our breakfast. Eric has his hand on my leg under the table, but when he brushes my hair off of my neck and leans closer to me he freezes. Unfortunately, Chris noticed.

"Where's Four?" Chris asks, giving me a questioning look. Chris knows all the details of my fucked up relationship with Four, except the fact that I caught him cheating last night.

"Don't know, don't care." I reply, stealing a piece of Eric's muffin and popping it into my mouth.

"What? Did something happen?" Chris asks, while Will, Uri and Marlene turn their attention towards me.

"Things haven't been good for awhile now, as you all have seen." They all nod in agreement. "Well yesterday, I came home much earlier than I usually do, and I found him in the shower having sex with some girl, telling her how much he loves her while she called him by his real name."

"Oh my gosh Tris, what happened? What'd he say?" Chris asks.

"Nothing, they were both entirely too busy to notice me. I just left, and went down to the Pit with Eric, Max and Dana."

"So he doesn't know that you saw him?" Marlene asks.

"Nope." I reply.

"Holy shit, it's gonna be crazy when you confront him. You really shouldn't do that alone with how hot headed he can be." Uri says.

"I agree, you might want to have that conversation where we can at least be close enough to see you." Will adds.

"There isn't a conversation to have, I'm done with him. I just need to get my stuff. Uri, do you know when he works again?"

"I think he's there now. I'm relieving him at 5." He replies. "Need help getting your stuff?"

"I can help her." Eric replies.

"Where are you staying?" Chris asks.

"With Eric." I reply. Everyone looks surprised.

"Is something going on here?" Chris grins at me.

"You could say that." I smile. Eric smiles down at me, and squeezes my leg under the table.

"I knew it!" Chris exclaims. "Uri, you owe me 50 points!"

"Whatever woman!" He rolls his eyes.

"What is this? A bet?" Eric asks.

"Well, we noticed that you became a hell of a lot less ruthless and broody once a certain leader in training was placed in your care. Plus we can all see how you two look at each other. We figured you were just waiting for her to get her head out of her ass and dump the idiot. So, Uri and I made a small wager as to when you two would finally stop dancing around it and do something about it. So he now owes me 50 points." Chris replies.

"You haven't won anything yet Chris! Your bet was they'd hook up, mine was they'd start dating." Uri says. "So, fearless leaders, who wins?"

"Well, technically neither of you win. We didn't hook up and we're not dating." Eric replies with a smirk.

"Well, you said something was going on right? So if it wasn't a hookup, and you guys aren't dating then what else is it?" Chris asks.

"We sort of got married last night." I reply.

"What!?" They all yell.

"Shhhhh. Stop yelling." I say.

"You did what? How did this happen? How do you 'sort of' get married?" Marlene asks, shock evident on her face.

"It's a funny story." Eric says. "We started with a lot of tequila and making out last night. She thought I only wanted in her pants, and I wanted to prove how I felt. So we got married."

"Oh my god. You two got shit faced and married? Are you insane? And Max allowed it?" Uri asks.

"Well, we convinced him that he didn't necessarily need to file the marriage license, so that we could have the chance to sober up and change our minds." I reply.

"Besides, most of the couples he's married have been drunk. He even admitted that." Eric says.

"So you're not married? Whew!" Chris replies.

"Technically, the license hasn't been filed, just signed and witnessed. But, after breakfast we're gonna see Max and have him file it." Eric replies and I nod my head in agreeance.

"You're going through with this?" Will asks.

"Yeah, we are. He's been a great friend to me over these past 8 months, and when I look back on it I realize that he was giving me the emotional support that Four wasn't. We had more of a real relationship than the cheating idiot I lived with." I reply.

"And I love her. Have for awhile now." Eric replies. It made my heart skip a beat when he effortlessly declared his feelings in front of our friends. They all look quite shocked at his admission.

"Uri, close your mouth before you catch a fly." I say.

"I think I won the bet." He laughs.

"Not so fast Pedrad. Did you two consummate this marriage?" Chris asks.

"Chris, really? That's the question you really want answers to?" I reply.

"Well, yeah, eventually I want to know about hot, drunk wedding night sex. Ok seriously Tris, I know that you guys are good friends, but are you sure you want to be married? No offense to you Eric, but Tris you just found out your boyfriend was cheating on you last night and today you're married. It seems like a pretty rash decision." Chris says.

"Four hasn't touched me in months. He's been distant and cold. I knew he was hiding something, but I naively didn't think he would actually cheat on me. He was entirely too Abnegation for that, or at least I thought. Eric has spent months developing a friendship with me, and we both know there is something much more going on here."

"Well, congrats. Seriously. She needs to be happy and treated well. If you're the man who can do it, you have my vote." Uri says, and Marlene and Chris both nod enthusiastically.

"We are totally throwing a party for you two." Chris says.

"Make sure there's tequila." Eric and I both say together. We all laugh. "Ok, we need to go see Max." Eric stands up, offering his hand to help me up. Once I'm up, he laces his fingers with mine.

"This is so weird." Chris says, but she's smiling.

"What the fuck, Tris?" Four yells from behind us. "So you don't come home last night, then I come here to look for you and find my girlfriend holding this assholes hand?" He's livid.

"At least you only found me holding his hand, Four. I found you holding some bitch against our shower wall, screwing her!" I yell back. His face blanches, and we earn a few stares.

"It was a mistake, Tris. Honest, she means nothing. I'm sorry. Please don't throw us away over that." He begs.

"How stupid do you think I am? You were telling her you love her and she was using your REAL name. The only mistake was me not leaving you before now. You've been jealous, unsupportive of my decisions, cold, uncaring and distant ever since I joined leadership. You were never happy for me, and I should have broken up with you then. The cheating was just the last straw." I reply.

"She's a better fuck than you anyway." He shouts.

"I highly doubt that." Eric replies, calmly.

"How the fuck would you know? Oh so you've been fucking my girlfriend Eric? For how long?" He spits, getting into Eric's face.

"You should step away Four, I'm still your leader. And to answer your question, I never fucked your girlfriend. I made love to my wife." Eric replies coolly.

Four looks incredibly confused. "Your what? Who?" He asks.

"My wife, Tris." Eric replies.

"What the fucking hell are you talking about?" He yells at Eric.

"We got married last night." I reply for him. "Now if you'll excuse me, my husband and I have to see Max. Goodbye Four. I'll be getting my stuff out of your apartment shortly."

"You are not married to this asshole. Stop this, Tris. Let's talk about it. He's dangerous and you know this." Four pleads, grabbing my arm roughly. Eric tenses beside me, and I squeeze his hand.

"Eric is now my husband." I move Fours hand from my arm.

"How can you throw the past year away? How can you be in my bed the night before last, and married to someone else today? Am I really supposed to believe that you haven't been cheating on me this whole time?"

"Yes, you absolutely should believe it. You spent months distancing yourself from me and our relationship. You brought someone else into our home and had sex with her, and said words to her that you've not said to me in months. Who knows how many others, since you sure as hell didn't want me. You've treated me like I was nothing more than a possession. Unlike you, I never once cheated on you. I will admit I was developing feelings for Eric before our relationship officially ended, but I never once acted on them."

"You're pathetic Tris. While you were developing feelings for this asshole, I was definitely getting mine. You were barely home, and then you were always tired, so yeah I got my needs met as often as possible." He smirks at me.

"You should be very careful how you speak to Tris. She is not only a leader of this faction, she is my wife and she deserves respect." Eric growls.

"She's not a leader, she's a trainee." Four scoffs.

"Yet another thing you don't know about the woman you claim to love. Not only is she a leader, she made full leadership faster than anyone in the history of Dauntless. You would have known that if you weren't too busy getting your needs met elsewhere." Eric replies, pride evident in his voice.

Four stands there looking dumbfounded. "You never told me." He says, looking at me.

"You never asked. As a matter of fact, you never once asked about my career. You degraded me, yelled at me and went so far as to talk to Max to ask to have the offer revoked. So, it's no real surprise that the only people who knew about my successes are sitting right here." I gesture to the table with my friends. "And the only man who's shown any pride over my decision and work is now my husband. Do yourself a favor Four and pull your head out of your ass for the next woman you're with."

"Maybe if you weren't just like him I would have cared. Whatever Tris, don't come running back to me when this dude gets what he wants and leaves you." Four says.

"I can assure you that will never happen. Unlike you, I cherish this woman." Eric replies.

"Goodbye, Four. Go control someone else's life, and enjoy the better fuck than me." Eric and I head out of the cafeteria, hand in hand.

"You ok?" He asks.

"I actually am. It felt good to finally stand up to him. I'm relieved to have that part of my life over. I'm really proud of you. You never once lost your cool even when he was provoking you."

Eric stops and pulls me into a deep kiss. When we break for air, he says "I'm proud of you too. You stood up for yourself, and us, while holding your head up high."

We continue walking to Max's office, hoping to catch him in on his day off. Our hunch pays off and we find him sitting at his desk, dressed casually but typing away at his computer.

"Hey there, finally sobered up?" He chuckles, and gestures for us to take a seat.

"Yeah we are. That was one hell of a night." Eric replies, laughing.

"That it was. So, I am going to shred this marriage license. Although it was a lot of fun performing your fake marriage ceremony."

"No, wait!" I say. "We want you to file it."

Max opens his mouth to protest, but Eric speaks. "Max, file it, we want to be married."

"Are you sure you're not still drunk? I don't like to stick my nose where it doesn't belong, but you understand once I file this you're legally married as of yesterday? The only way out of that is divorce, unless by some miracle you haven't consummated the marriage, in that case we could have it annulled. However, based on how you two were acting last night, I think it's safe to assume that won't be an option."

I blush and Eric laughs. "We understand that divorce would be our only option." Eric replies.

"We're sure." I answer to Max.

"This will not interfere with your leadership duties. I expect you both to behave professionally, no matter what happens with this experiment of yours. I'll file the license now, congratulations newlyweds." He says with a serious tone, but a smile in his eyes. "Now get out, enjoy your day off. Actually, take next week off. Have a honeymoon. Now scram."

We head out of Max's office and to the apartment I shared with Four. I don't have a whole lot here since I moved in with him directly after initiation. It only takes Eric and me two trips to get everything.

"I seriously can't believe we're doing this. We skipped everything. No first date, our first kiss was due to body shots, our first time was in my office, you never proposed, we had no wedding and I only move out of my ex's place the day after our marriage. Does this not seem crazy to you?"

"A little." He chuckles. "So what if we're backwards. I'm going to give you all of those things, anything you want."

"I'm holding you to that, Mr. Coulter."

"Good, I expect you to, Mrs. Coulter."


	3. Questions, Answers and Feelings

Chapter 3: Questions, Answers and Feelings.

Tris POV

"You want real rings or tattoos?" Eric asks as we walk aimlessly through the Pit.

"Um, both maybe? Can we start with real rings and once we both decide that this is permanent we go with tattoos?" I ask.

"Fair enough, although I've already decided." He replies grinning. "Let's go get rings."

"Hey, before you two get too far away, make sure you're at the cafeteria for lunch today, I want to make Tris' leadership announcement." Max calls from behind us.

"Will do." I reply.

Eric and I head to the jewelry store and pick out plain black wedding bands with simple diamond cutting. We slip the rings on each other and seal it with a chaste kiss. We leave the store and Eric leads me to the roof.

"Why are we going up here?" I ask.

"It's a nice day." He replies.

Once we get to the roof, we sit side by side just enjoying the sunshine. "This is where we first met, you know." Eric says, while holding my hand, and absentmindedly playing with my wedding band. "The brave little stiff. You were so damn determined. I noticed you immediately, not just because of the grey clothes, but because the look in your eyes was fierce. You were never afraid. I would have never believed that l'd be sitting here right now, asking you to marry me."

I look over and he's holding a ring with a single black diamond. It's beautiful. He kneels in front of me. "I know we've done everything backwards, but you deserve the proposal I always wanted to give you. We haven't taken the most conventional path, but there has not been one moment since you jumped into my life that I haven't wanted you. You've made me want to be a better man, and I'm so lucky to know you. Tris Coulter, will you marry me?"

"Yes." I answer through tears. He slips the ring onto my finger and kisses me passionately. We only break apart when breathing becomes an issue. "That was the sweetest and most romantic thing anyone's ever done for me. Thank you. I love this side of you."

We spend the rest of the morning sitting on the roof, talking and kissing. We then head back inside and to the cafeteria. We're early for lunch, but we quickly spot Chris and Will sitting at a table. They wave us over.

"Hello newlyweds!" Chris grins. "I hear you have a week off for your honeymoon. So, before you lock yourselves away to fuck like bunnies, we need to plan this smashing party!"

"Chris, seriously, can this not be a huge party?" I whine.

"Are you kidding me? You two got married in Max's office, I bet you weren't even wearing a dress." She sighs. "Besides, when does anyone not celebrate big in Dauntless? You've got 2 things to celebrate too, leadership and marriage to the scariest dude in the compound. Max has already given me free reign, and he has an entire team working on this. Tris, you made full leader faster than anyone else in the history of Dauntless. A month quicker than your scary ass husband." She squeals. "You will be dressed up too missy! No combat boots! As a matter of fact, I'll get you ready. The party is going to be tomorrow night, Max is going to make the announcement soon."

"Fine. As long as my ass is covered by whatever you make me wear. Oh and it can't flash my panties when I sit." I reply. I can feel Eric's silent laughter.

"You could always skip the panties all together." Eric whispers in my ear and I shiver.

"You behave!" I reply, giving him a quick kiss.

"Based on that reaction, I think your hubby would prefer you to go commando." Chris says with a smile.

"I have no issues with that, as long as I'm the only one who gets to see what's under that dress." He replies, nipping my neck.

"Damn Eric, spoil it for the rest of us." Will jokes, earning a glare from Eric. "I'm just kidding!"

"I'm wearing panties, and they will remain for my husband's eyes only, end of discussion."

"Fine, we have a deal." Chris replies then sticks out her tongue at me. "I still can't believe you two are married. We've been together over a year and we're not even there yet. Although I'm willing, hint hint." She and Will share a quick kiss and a grin. "You two go from friends to married in less than 24 hours."

"Well when you put it that way it does seem pretty damn crazy." I reply. "You stop with all the logic, Will's Erudite is rubbing off on you."

"Logically speaking, I've been dating you in my mind for months, so our marriage isn't crazy at all." Eric replies before kissing my nose.

"Another fine example of an Erudite enriched mind." Will laughs and we all join in.

I look around and find the cafeteria is packed, it almost feels like more than usual. I see Max walk in, he gets up on the rocks and whistles to quiet the crowd down. He gestures for Eric and me to come up to him.

"I have two important announcements to make, please hold your celebrations till the end. First is I'd like to introduce you to your newest Dauntless leader, Tris Coulter." I see several questioning looks from the crowd. "And for those who didn't already catch on, I'd like for you all to join me in congratulating our newlyweds, Eric and Tris Coulter, I had the privilege of performing their marriage ceremony last night. There will be a party to celebrate both of these momentous occasions tomorrow evening in the Pit. That is all."

There is loud hooting and hollering, clapping and whistles. Soon Eric and I are separated and pulled through the crowd getting hugs, handshakes and pats on the back.

"You and Eric, what the hell Stiff? Are you fucking your way to the top? Gonna have Max's job next?" Peter says, sneering at me.

"Jesus, get over yourself Peter." I reply.

"Back off dude. Tris isn't like that, and jealousy looks pretty damn bad on you." I turn to see who came to my defense and am surprised to find Zeke. He and Four are best friends, so this reaction is unexpected. Peter stalks off and Zeke throws his arms around me. "Congrats Tris, on both items."

I pull back and reply "Thank you for saying that, and for coming to my defense with Peter. I'm actually quite surprised."

"Me too." He chuckles "Look, I knew Four had been seeing Abby for awhile now. I caught them on camera more than once. He's my friend, and out of the whole bro code thing I left it up to him to come clean to you. He's an idiot, but at the end of the day he's still gonna be my friend and I'm still gonna be yours too."

I reach up and give Zeke a huge hug. "Thank you, so much. That means the world to me."

Uriah makes his way over and throws his arms around both Zeke and me, creating a group hug.

"Should I be worried at the amount of Pedrad touching my wife at this moment?" Eric asks with a smile.

"Holy shit, you smile?" Uri asks laughing at Eric.

"Getting laid does that." Zeke replies. We all laugh.

"Getting married does too." Eric replies, snaking his arms around my waist from behind and resting his chin on my shoulder.

"Did Tris slip you some peace serum? This is not the scary as fuck Eric I'm use to." Uri laughs.

We see Four approaching our group and Eric immediately glares at him and moves in front of me.

"And the scary as fuck Eric is back." Uri mumbles.

"Can I talk to Tris alone please?" Four asks.

"You can say whatever you want in front of everyone." I reply. Eric grabs my hand and laces our fingers together. Tobias looks down and sees our wedding rings.

"This marriage thing is real?" He asks, picking up my left hand and inspecting my rings. I quickly pull my hand away.

"Yes." Eric replies.

"I'm talking to Tris." Tobias growls. "Tris, seriously, think about what you're doing. He's not good for you. He doesn't know you like I do. You can't possibly love him a day after leaving me. I've warned you about him before, I don't understand how you can trust him." He sighs. Eric's grip on my hand has tightened slightly, but he's keeping his cool much better than I expected.

"Four, I appreciate your concern, but I trust my husband. I wouldn't have married him if I didn't. I wish you and Abby the best. Zeke, Uri thank you both, Eric and I are going to head home. We'll see you both tomorrow."

We walk away before Four can say anything else. Once we're near the chasm, I stop walking, tugging on Eric's hand. "I'm really proud of you. I know that was a hard conversation to hear, but you stayed calm." I kiss him gently. He wraps his arms around me and deepens our kiss. We stand there, sharing kisses and holding each other for awhile.

"He lost you. Of course he's upset. I'm not going to let him get under my skin. At the end of the day, you're my wife. I trust you, and believe that you can fight your own battles. If I feel a need to step in, you know I will without hesitation."

"How did I miss this part of you? I can't believe you were right in front of my face this whole time and I didn't see you." I ask.

Eric chuckles. "I was enough of an asshole to keep you at arms length. I was waiting for you though Tris. Good things come to those who wait." He leans down and kisses me.

"Since we skipped the whole relationship phase, I think there are some things we should talk about. How about we ask each other some questions?" I say.

We sit down on the ledge overlooking the chasm, side by side with our hands entwined. "Ok, shoot." He replies.

"Why'd you transfer to Dauntless?" I ask.

"It was one of the factions I received on my aptitude test." He replies and sees the shocked expression on my face. "Erudite and Dauntless. I didn't want to stay there, I wanted to be a protector."

"You're divergent too?" I ask.

"Yeah, you seem surprised. What did you get on your aptitude test?"

"I'm definitely surprised. Abnegation, Erudite and Dauntless." I reply.

"Three? That's unheard of. Pretty amazing." He smiles. "What made you choose Dauntless?"

"I wanted to be free, and brave and a protector. When I took my aptitude test, I was actually warned against choosing Dauntless, I was told being divergent here was dangerous. I didn't listen and took my chances. I was able to hide it pretty well, until stage 2, and Four figured it out. He helped me hide it, and taught me how to handle my fears like a Dauntless would. He warned me about you in particular."

"What did he say about me?"

"That you were dangerous. That you were working for Jeanine, and that you would kill me if you found out about my divergence."

"I suppose he never told you I was part of the team that apprehended Jeanine."

"What? No, he didn't. What happened?"

"Jeanine had approached Max and I about joining forces in her witch hunt for divergents and her war against Abnegation. She wanted to use a long range mind control serum to turn Dauntless into her own personal army, and use us to forcefully overthrow Abnegation. Her offer was power, if we went along with her plan Max and I would become high ranking leaders in her new government. Max and I decided to go along with her plan in order to get more information so she could be arrested and tried. As you know, a false accusation against a faction leader is punishable by death, so we needed an airtight case. We had to play along, which included numerous meetings with Jeanine. Four's naturally a very paranoid person, and that coupled with working in the control room he had access to a lot of what appeared to be clandestine meetings between Max, Jeanine and myself. When we finally had the proof we needed for Jack to issue an arrest warrant, Max and I were tasked with forming a team to apprehend Jeanine and bring her to Candor for a trial. We tried meeting with Four to bring him onto the team, but he refused."

"Did he know what you were doing? Either before, during or after?" I ask.

"Not before, he did during because Max and I told him in an effort to recruit him. He also knew about what happened afterward."

"Yet he continued to try to make me hate you. Eric, even when I wanted to take the leadership position he still did everything in his power to make me afraid of you. You weren't the monster he made you out to be, you were a hero. You helped save so many lives. I'm so sorry I believed him. I was clouded by my own opinion of how you treated us during initiation. You seemed very interested in my development, but you also seemed to truly hate me."

"To be fair, I was terrible to you and your friends during initiation. I had to act like business as usual here, all while keeping up the farce with Jeanine. It was an extraordinary amount of pressure, and I didn't react well to it. You had every right to form an unfavorable opinion of me. I wanted to protect you, so I had to go to extreme measures to hide the attraction I felt for you, which came across as me being quite cruel."

"I wish I had of known this. I spent so long thinking the worst of you." I reply, a few tears slipping out. Eric moves so he is sitting behind me with his legs on either side of me. He pulls me towards him so my back is pressed against his chest, his arms wrapped around me. He kisses my head.

"Tris, it's ok, we're here now. We wouldn't have worked then, not with everything that was going on with Jeanine. You were the top divergent on her list, so my priority was to protect you all while I was convincing Jeanine that I was going to bring you to her. I hated you with Four, but he helped to keep you safe during that time. I'm grateful for that." He's holding me close, running his hands up and down my arms to comfort me. "Do you have siblings?" He asks, trying to change the subject to something lighter.

"Thank you for protecting me and keeping me safe. Why didn't you ever tell me about Jeanine? You've had so many chances to talk about it."

"I didn't exactly know what you'd been told, but I had a pretty good hunch since it was coming from Four, and I also knew telling you wouldn't solve anything. You hated me, and you loved Four. Had I attempted to tell you the truth about Jeanine, you wouldn't have believed me because of how I treated you. I wanted you to like me for me, as juvenile as that sounds, and I needed you to see Four for who he really was without my interference."

"I did want to believe him, and I thought you were capable of horrible things. I was so wrong about you."

"Tris, you learned to like me even after being told horrible things about me. That speaks volumes to me. You believed in my character, even if you never vocalized any doubts. That means a lot to me. So, you never answered me, do you have any siblings?"

"I do, my brother Caleb actually was in the same choosing ceremony as me since we're only 10 months apart in age. He transferred to Erudite. How about you?"

"I have an older brother Ethan in Amity of all places, and a younger sister Emily who stayed in Erudite. Do you miss your family?"

"I do. I know it's faction before blood, and I know I belong here in Dauntless but I do miss them. Going to the leadership meetings makes me nervous because I'll see my father again."

"You'll see your brother too. Caleb was a leader in training for Jeanine, and he's one of the few that Cara kept on when she assumed the leader position. I've met your father, he's the fairest one in Abnegation in my opinion. I wouldn't worry about seeing them, even though faction before blood is a big thing it's not strictly enforced when you're in a situation where you're face to face with your family. I've run into my parents and sister when our leadership meeting has been in Erudite before."

"When is the next meeting?" I ask.

"Two weeks from now, it's being held in Candor this time."

"Do you miss your family Eric?"

"Sometimes, yeah. My parents weren't much for affection or love. They were brilliant, and sought out to make us the perfect Erudite children. Ethan and I never fit their mold, but I certainly became the worst in their eyes when I chose Dauntless. They view Dauntless as nothing but reckless hooligans without substance. Jeanine was my mother's sister. My mother didn't believe in everything Jeanine said and did, but neither her nor my father have forgiven me for the role I played in apprehending her. I miss my brother the most of all. I'd like to think that I'd be a much better parent than my parents were to me."

"Jeanine was your aunt. I had no idea. That must have been difficult for you to turn against her."

"There was nothing to turn against. Her beliefs were awful and misguided. She had no idea that I was exactly what she despised - a divergent. Even if I wasn't, I would have never went along with her genocide. In her case, faction before blood is poetic. Enough about her, how do you feel about having kids?" He asks.

"Ah, bringing up the serious stuff. I'd like to have kids some day. I'm not set on a specific time or number, but I do see myself as a mother one day. You have to answer that too."

"I actually feel the same way. I definitely want to be a father, but I hadn't given much thought to when or how many since I wasn't quite sure if I was going to find the person I wanted to have them with. Then, once I found you, I wasn't sure if I'd ever have you." He smiles again.

"You should smile more often. You might have had me months ago." I grin at him, and get a true laugh out of him.

"Well damn, if I had of known! Did you ever imagine yourself getting married?"

"I did, I've always wanted to be married some day. It wasn't on my radar though, as you know my first and only relationship wasn't a walk in the park. I definitely didn't expect it to happen the way it did."

"That answers another one of my questions, I was wondering how many boyfriends you've had, and maybe how many partners. I know that can be a touchy subject though."

"It's easy for me to answer, one for all of it, well two now including you. Could you answer that too, if you're willing?" I ask.

"I had a girlfriend back in Erudite. It wasn't anything real, but I guess it's considered dating? I was a virgin when I transferred here, and I've had 2 partners before you. No relationships. I'd consider this my first real relationship."

"I'm actually surprised, I thought that number would be much higher. Do you ever see the women? Did you love any of them?"

"I see them both around here once in awhile. I didn't love either of them. I'm not friends with either of them, or even acquaintances. You've seen how small my circle is." He chuckles. "You are the only girl I've loved, and the only one I've said those words to outside of my family. The first experience was with a woman ten years older than me, she seduced me when I was an initiate and we carried on a strictly physical relationship on and off for quite awhile until I found out she was not only married, but happily married. She'd lie about leaving him, so we'd start our physical relationship up again until I caught her in her lies. That circle went on for awhile, as horrible as this sounds I was a teenage boy who wanted to get laid and she was willing. The other was a one night stand, which happened right after you joined leadership. I've not had a relationship here, nor have I wanted one before you. Since I already know the answer to these questions for you, I'll let you ask something else."

"When did you know that you loved me?" I ask.

He smiles. "I've been physically attracted to you from day one, from the minute I saw you I was taken by your beauty. You intrigued me all through your initiation, and you were the one person who wasn't afraid of standing up to me. I knew I was developing feelings for you pretty soon after we started leadership training. As for when I fell in love with you, I don't know when it happened but I realized it when I was giving you relationship advice. It was the first time you talked to me about your issues with Four. I went home that night and couldn't get you off my mind, I was almost angry at myself for giving you advice about him. I also knew that even though you were unhappy with him, you needed to be ready to leave on your own terms, so I was careful to stay as neutral as possible when we talked. I didn't want you to stop talking to me."

"That must have been hard for you, talking to me about him all that time. I never once knew how you felt. I mean, we definitely flirted a lot, and we caught each other staring, but I thought it was just physical attraction on your part."

"I can't ask you that same question, so do you want to go again or do you want me to ask you a different one?" He asks.

"I want you to ask me that question." I reply. I turn around so I am facing him and I can see the emotions evident on his face. "Ask me, please." I say softly, looking straight into his eyes.

"When did you know that you loved me?" He asks nervously.

"I noticed you the first day on the roof. You were intimidating and downright scary, but physically you were the epitome of what Dauntless is, and I thought you were extremely handsome. All through initiation, I found myself constantly frustrated with you and I almost didn't choose leadership because I was terrified to work with you one on one. Even though you pushed me away with your arrogance, you still intrigued me and I was never afraid of you. You showed me a different side of yourself the first day we trained together, and you spent the last 8 months changing my opinion of you. You made an effort to get to know me on more than a surface level, and you even became friends with my friends just to spend extra meal time with me. As for when I fell in love with you, I can't pinpoint when it happened, but I knew earlier when we were on the roof and you asked me to marry you that I loved you, and probably have for a little while now."

"You love me?"

"I do."

"Say it again."

"I love you Eric Coulter."

"I love you too Tris Coulter." He leans in and kisses me sweetly, but passionately, with all the love we feel for each other pouring in. We sit together, in each other's arms, just listening to the sound of rushing water.

"So what do you wanna do for our honeymoon?" He asks.

"Lock ourselves in our bedroom." I reply, giving him my best come hither look.

"Well, let's get started." He picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. I'm laughing and squealing at him as he runs to our apartment.


	4. Newlyweds, Girl Talk and Exes, Oh My!

Chapter 4: Newlyweds, Girl Talk and Exes, Oh My!

Tris POV

I wake up and find the sun is barely up, I'm wrapped in my husbands strong arms and we are both deliciously naked. He's laying on his back, with one arm wrapped around me while I lay on his chest. I pull the covers away from us and see his wonderful morning wood. I slowly scoot down, putting my hand on his manhood and take my tongue and run it around the sensitive head, swiping across the top for his pre cum. I glance up and he's still sleeping, I slowly take him fully in my mouth, slightly hollowing my cheeks and sucking, stroking along with my hand. I hear soft moans.

"Am I dreaming, or is my wife waking me up with an incredible blow job?" He asks with his sexy sleep thickened voice. I hum a bit in response and he moans with pleasure. I deep throat him for several strokes, then use my hand to make up the difference. Eric is running his hands through my hair, and guiding my mouth up and down his shaft.

"Tris, this feels so damn good." He says breathily. I cup his balls, squeezing lightly, while I increase my pace. "I'm so close." He moans. I deep throat him again, swallowing each time his cock touches my throat. "Fuck, I'm cumming." He spills in my mouth, I take it all in and swallow.

"Jesus, Tris, that was fucking amazing. How'd I get so lucky?"

"I did promise you blow jobs on demand in our vows babe, I take it seriously" I smirk at him. He pulls me towards him and kisses me, devouring my mouth. He quickly flips us over so he's hovering above me. He kisses my lips, biting my bottom lip before moving down my jaw and kissing his way down my chest taking my nipple into his mouth. He snakes one hand between my slick folds and begins circling my clit with one finger.

"Eric" I moan. "I want you inside of me, now. I need you." With one quick adjustment he pushes into me gently. He pauses movements while kissing me deeply and exploring my mouth with his tongue.

"I love you Tris." He whispers, before rocking his hips slowly against mine. His moves are slow and deliberate.

"I love you too." I whisper back. He's kissing me everywhere and keeping a slower pace. This is a gentler side of Eric, and he's sensual and making love to me, instead of the harder primal way of our previous times. He presses my legs back further, and increases his pace slightly before changing our position. He sits up, pulling me on top of him, pressing our bodies close together. I lower myself on to him, and he quickly finds the perfect rhythm with his thrusts. In this position, he's much deeper, and the combination of how he feels inside of me, the friction of our bodies rubbing against each other and our passionate kisses is bringing me to my climax. "Eric you feel so good inside of me." I am meeting each of his thrusts, our mouths only leaving each other to whisper our affections in each other's ear. "Baby, I'm cumming." I whisper, before losing myself, my walls squeezing his cock.

"Me too baby, God you feel so good, Tris..." He whispers before spilling inside of me. He pulls my hair slightly, exposing my neck and he places open mouth kisses along my neck and jaw.

"You're so beautiful, and you're mine." He says.

"I'll always be yours." I reply before pressing my mouth against his. We're still joined together, enjoying our skin to skin contact. I slowly lift myself off of him, missing the feel of our joined bodies immediately. We lie down facing each other, arms around each other's bodies and legs intertwined. I'm resting my head below his chin, and soon we both fall back to sleep.

I wake up to the text alert repeating on my phone. I turn over slowly and reach for it on my nightstand, trying not to disturb Eric. Chris has already started shopping for party attire and she's been excitedly sending me updates.

"Everything ok babe?" Eric asks from behind me.

"Yeah, Chris is just excited about tonight. Sorry to wake you."

"Its ok. How long do we have before you need to meet Chris?" He asks.

"Over 4 hours."

"Whatever shall we do to pass the time?" He asks, pulling me on top of him flush to his chest.

"I can think of something" I reply before kissing him. We spend the rest of the afternoon in bed, exploring each other's bodies and making love several times before falling back to sleep. We're awoken by my phone ringing. I answer, and it's Chris reminding me that I'll need to be at her place in an hour.

"Christina again?" Eric asks.

"Yes, she wanted to tell me, and I quote 'make sure you're done fucking and in the shower soon, you're to be here in one hour'. You can take the girl out of Candor, but apparently not the Candor out of the girl." I laugh and he joins me.

"Well I'm not sure I'm done fucking as she so eloquently put it, but do you want to shower?" He asks.

"As long as you're with me." I reply.

We both jump out of bed and head to the shower. We turn the water on to warm, and both brush our teeth before stepping into the shower. Eric wastes no time, lifting me up by the back of my thighs and pressing my back to the shower wall. He enters me in one quick thrust while kissing my neck. "How do you want me?" He asks.

"Hard and fast." I reply before devouring his mouth with mine. We kiss frantically while he pounds into me at a manic pace.

"I'm not going to be able to last long, this feels way too fucking good." He moans. I can feel my release quickly approaching, and I explode on him without warning, screaming his name. My orgasm pushes him over the edge and he cums hard inside of me while calling out my name.

"That was my first time in a shower." I pant, when he slides out of me.

"Mine too." He replies. "So fucking good."

"Yes it was." We kiss each other gently before continuing our shower. We wash each other's bodies, and shampoo each other's hair before stepping out to dry off.

"I can't believe you've never done that before. You're so much more experienced than me." I say.

"Quantity maybe, but nothing quality." He replies. "You're the first girl I've had in my apartment, in my bed and in my shower. So many more surfaces here we will need to christen." He grins.

"You really never brought a woman here?" I ask.

"No, I never brought women here, I didn't want people in my space. And, when we were in the act it wasn't personal, it was sex. I didn't care to make it about them, nor be adventurous with each experience, it was just a fuck. Part of my cold nature I guess. I hope us talking like this doesn't bother you." He replies, studying me for a reaction.

"Not really. I knew you had been with women before me, and I honestly thought it was scores of women just based on how people would talk about you."

"Again, part of my cold nature. I'm pretty closed off to most people, and I prefer it that way. It's amusing how people perceive me as some man whore. Have they met me? I don't exactly have enough charm to bed scores of women."

"Well, they see you and are willing to accept the challenge. Even when you're acting like a giant jerk, you're a freaking hot giant jerk, and who wouldn't want to be the girl who finally thaws your icy cold heart?" I reply sarcastically. He laughs.

"Seriously Tris? You want a cookie or something?" He smiles, grabbing me from behind and nuzzling into my neck.

"No one would believe you're like this. Cute, and loveable, and cuddly and stuff. It's rather adorable."

"And it's only for you. Now put some clothes on before I make you very late to Christina's apartment." He replies, smacking my ass before walking away.

"I do want a cookie!" I yell back and he laughs.

I get dressed in comfortable clothes and get ready to head to Christina's. "I'll see you tonight." I step up on my tiptoes for a kiss.

"Can't wait. I love you."

"I love you too."

Once I'm at Christina's I'm surprised to find Marlene and Shauna there, already dressed with hair and makeup immaculate, they all look absolutely beautiful. "I see she roped you both in too." I laugh. "You all look perfect and gorgeous."

"There's no roping anyone in here miss Tris. It's a beauty tradition." Chris replies before sitting me down to start my makeup.

"Ok Tris, spill. How in the heck did you end up marrying Eric? Did he threaten your life or something? Do we need an intervention?" Shauna asks laughing.

"No, there were no threats. I'm telling you, he's a completely different person than what you all see. He terrified me during my initiation, and when I first started leadership training with him I thought we'd end up killing each other. But, we were in the training room one morning after I had a particularly bad fight with Four the night before, and he actually noticed that I wasn't myself. He talked to me, like a normal human being, and even gave me advice from a man's perspective. Each day after that, he let his walls down a little more, and we became really close. Don't get me wrong, he's still tough as nails, but with me he's a real person and not the jerk we assume him to be."

"He seriously scares the hell out of me, but I definitely have seen him change since he's been friends with you. I just can't believe how fast this happened. You worry me Tris. Most people have a rebound relationship or two after a breakup, but here you are having a rebound marriage." Marlene says. I know there is humor in her comments, but it makes me think. Could this be a rebound? Am I just wrapped up in the moment? The girls continue chatting amongst themselves and I'm brought out of my thoughts by Chris nudging my shoulder.

"I asked you if you wanted your hair up or down. You ok? You were deep in thought." She asks, looking concerned.

"I'm good, just mind wandering. I'm good with whatever you decide, since you've seen my dress. I just hope it covers this." I unbutton a few buttons on my shirt and slide my shoulder out, showing Chris the bite mark from this mornings activities.

"Tris! You naughty girl! This is definitely not the sweet Abnegation girl I know. So, is it mind blowing?" She asks with a grin, Marlene and Shauna giggling.

"He's always so angry looking. I can imagine he's ordering you around in bed." Shauna laughs.

"Yeah, come on, give us at least some details." Marlene prompts.

I sigh. "Ok, fine, I'll answer _some_ questions, but don't expect me to share everything."

"How big is he?" Chris asks. "Bigger than Four?"

"How'd I know you'd ask that. Yes." I reply. Chris squeals.

"Is he good, or is it just newlyweds bliss?" Shauna asks. "I have to know, is he rough? I was serious about him looking pissed off 24/7"

"Extremely good, and there's nothing we've done that both of us haven't thoroughly enjoyed." I answer.

"Ok, it's just us here and this answer won't leave this room. Was something going on with Eric while you were with Four?" Chris asks.

"Nothing physical. Our friendship had definitely evolved, and we were extremely flirty and comfortable with each other. I won't lie, I certainly have been attracted to him for a long time, and once we had become so close there were feelings developing. The only things that held me back were my unknown need to fix things with Four, even when it was obvious that it was beyond repair, and the fact that Eric seemed to not want a relationship. I just found out that the reason he kept telling me he didn't want a relationship was because he wanted me." I reply.

"How'd he make his move?" Shauna asks. "Or did you make the first move?"

"Him. Body shots." I giggle. "To his credit, he didn't make a move until I announced to the table that I had dumped Four."

"Body shots! Tris you are so naughty. I love it!" Chris squeals.

"Do you love him?" Marlene's question surprises me.

"I do. I don't know when it happened but I knew it when he proposed yesterday." The girls all give me a strange look, so I give them the details of his rooftop proposal.

"Ok, I have to admit, that is incredibly sweet. I would have never thought Eric was capable of that type of emotion." Chris replies.

"I'm telling you, he is a completely different person behind closed doors. Don't tell him I told you that though." I laugh.

"Tris, do you still love Four? Are you sure this isn't a rebound?" Marlene asks.

"I care about Four, I really do. I think he and I were drawn together immediately because we both came from Abnegation, so we were comfortable, and Four had this overwhelming need to protect me. I think I loved him at first, but I'm not sure we were ever meant to be more than friends. There was no passion in our relationship at all, he treated me like we were still in Abnegation. We hadn't said I love you to each other in months, and we hadn't had sex for even longer. When I caught him in the shower with that girl yesterday, I wasn't upset for the reasons you'd expect me to be. I was pissed that he was treating her like a real Dauntless relationship, you know with passion and hot sex and he had refused to do that with me. We were each other's firsts: relationship, sex, and love, so I think we felt like we had to force our relationship even though we knew it just didn't work. I don't look at Eric as a rebound, I look at what he and I shared over these past 8 months and realize we were developing a real relationship. He's who I looked forward to seeing every day. We even had started making excuses to find each other on our days off. He's who I shared all of my successes with. He's the one who was proud of me. I was falling in love with him and not even realizing it." I smile, thinking of how I had fallen for him so effortlessly.

"You kept a lot bottled in behind that smile. We knew things with Four weren't great, but we didn't realize that your happiness was coming from someone else. I guess you needed to take your time and figure it out." Marlene replies.

"I knew she was hot for Eric, but you're right Mar she needed to figure it all out on her own. I don't hate Four, I just think he's a shitty boyfriend." Chris says.

"Agreed. I know he's Zeke's best friend, but he's an idiot when it comes to women. I do think he loved you Tris, but I also think once you cracked that shell of his he didn't know how to act or behave. I never thought I'd say this, but I think Eric is perfect for you. You left Abnegation for a reason, and that reason was obviously different than Four's, but he looks at you and wants a perfect Abnegation relationship while you want something more." Shauna says.

"I completely agree with that Shauna." I reply.

"Zeke asked me to marry him." Shauna says quietly.

"What? Why are we just hearing about this?" Marlene asks.

"I haven't answered him. I don't even know if he meant it." She replies.

"Ok, you have to explain." I say.

"Well, he came home from a late shift in the control room and he was agitated because he'd seen something with Four" she gives me a sad look and I wave my hand gesturing for her to continue "anyway, he was pissed about seeing him doing something so disrespectful to you guys' relationship. He kind of went off on a rant about it for awhile, and then he started telling me how much he loved me and how he'd never cheat on me or treat me bad. Then he just blurted out that he wanted to marry me and asked me I felt the same. Instead of answering the question I kissed him, which led to other things and then we went to sleep. This was a few days ago and neither of us had brought it up again, but when he found out that Tris and Eric were married he told me it should have been us. I still froze."

"Shauna do you want to marry him?" Chris asks.

"Ofcourse I do. It's all I think about. But this is Zeke, he never takes anything seriously. I don't want him asking because he's afraid of me doubting our relationship after hearing about Four, or because he thinks I need something more after seeing you guys get married."

"What if he really does want to be married Shauna, for the right reasons, and you're too busy denying his feelings? I get how the Pedrad men are, trust me, but underneath their silliness is their true feelings. Zeke wouldn't have brought up marriage if he wasn't serious about it." Marlene says.

"You're going to have to talk to him about it. He's likely afraid to bring it up again since he feels you don't want the same things." I say.

Shauna nods. "You girls are right, I will definitely talk to him. Thank you, I'm so lucky to have friends like you all."

"I second that, now you go get dressed. Your bags are hanging on the back of my bedroom door." Chris shoos me away.

"Thanks girls. You all mean so much to me, and your opinions are important. Thank you for understanding and supporting my decisions. Now I'm going to go get ready before I cry and ruin my makeup."

I find that Chris has spared no detail with her fashion choices this evening. The dress is a silky flowy material, backless with a dangerously low dip. It's silver, and shimmery, and it reminds me of the color of Eric's eyes. She's also bought me a silver lace thong, no bra, some sparkly drop earrings and a pair of strappy, sparkly high heeled sandals. I quickly get dressed and take a look at myself in the full length mirror. The dress is amazing, it accentuates my perky breasts and modest curves, and from the back it looks great, it hits about mid thigh but even with the amount of skin I'm showing I don't feel over exposed. Chris has braided my long hair into an elegant fishtail braid that draped over my left shoulder. My makeup is not overdone, with a slight cat eye and smoky eyeshadow. The heels are higher than I prefer, but they are perfect with the outfit, and I feel beautiful.

I walk out to join the girls and they all stop talking. "Tris, you look amazing. Eric is going to flip." Shauna says, while Marlene and Chris agree.

"Let's go celebrate you!" Chris squeals, linking her arm with mine. We all head down to the Pit.

To say the Pit is crowded would be an understatement. It feels like everyone from Dauntless is here. The music is loud, the drinks are flowing and people are having a great time. I scan the room, looking for my husband, but with this crazy crowd of people it's impossible.

"Do you see the boys anywhere?" Marlene yells over the music.

"Zeke said he'd be waiting by the back bar. Wanna try there?" Shauna asks. We all link our hands together and move through the throng of people like a human train.

"Someone grabbed my ass!" Chris yells.

"Yeah this is a handsy crowd." Marlene agrees.

We finally make it to the back bar and find Zeke and Uri.

"Have you guys seen Will or Eric?" Chris yells.

"Not yet, no. We'll keep an eye out." Uri replies.

I order a glass of wine and keep an eye on the crowd. I soon hear Zeke greeting someone, and it's Four.

"Hey Tris, congrats on everything." He says to me, looking at the ground. He looks up and makes eye contact. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks." I reply, keeping my eye on the crowd.

"Where's Eric?" He asks.

"Where's Abby?" I counter.

"Touché." He replies, with a quick grin. I'd barely registered it before it disappeared. "She's working a late shift in the infirmary. For what it's worth, I am sorry Tris. I should have handled everything differently."

"Tonight is about celebrating and having fun. Let's not talk about that stuff, not right now at least, ok?" I reply.

"Fair enough. Do you think maybe we could be friends again?" He asks.

"Fun stuff, remember?" I reply. He smiles.

"Ok got it." He signals the bartender for a drink. "Talk soon? Just friends, I promise."

"Ok." I nod.

"Can I get you another drink?" He asks.

"No thanks, I'm pacing myself. Maybe later?" I reply.

"I'd like that." He smiles and turns his attention back to the bartender.

Chris walks over to me and motions towards Four. "You ok?"

"Yeah, he's being pretty decent, wants to be friends. We agreed to talk later. Wanna look for the boys?" I ask.

"Let's do it." We link hands and make our way through the crowd. Finally, we find Will as he was making his way through the crowd looking for Chris.

Will points up to two figures on the walkway near the chasm. It appears to be Eric and Max making their way down. I mouth "thank you" to Will and tell Chris I'd meet them by the back bar later. I make my way over to the door of the Pit and wait.

Max is first through the door, and he wraps me in a quick hug. "Congrats on your successes again. We couldn't be happier for you. Can I steal you for a moment, I need to talk to you about something." He asks. I nod and he leads me out of the pit and into a quieter meeting room.

"Is everything ok?" I ask.

"Yes, indeed. I wanted to talk to you before you heard the news from someone else, we are on boarding a new leader in training, and as the newest leader you'll be working closely with his training."

"Wow, that's great news. Thank you for trusting me with this assignment. Is the leader in training anyone I know?" I ask.

"I plan on making the announcement to the faction tomorrow at dinner, but I've already spoken with the other leaders to let them know. The new leader in training is Four." Max replies, studying my face.

"Oh. Wow, ok. Well I knew you all had wanted him before, glad he's finally accepted. That explains why he was trying to talk to me earlier." I nervously reply.

"Tris, I know there's history there, and it's rather fresh. The standard protocol is for the newest leader to train the newest leader in training, and we move up the ranks as needed when we have multiple leaders in training. This means that the bulk of his training falls on you. I've already spoken with Eric, and while he's unhappy he's agreed to keep things professional. Four and I have spoken at length as well and he's assured me there will be no issues working with you or Eric. I'd rather not make an exception, and I trust you to keep this professional, will there be any problems?" He asks.

"No sir, I'll do whatever is needed. Thank you again for trusting me with this."

Max nods. "Great, his training will start once you are back from your honeymoon. Ready to head back in?"

"Sure, but do you know where Eric went?" I ask as we exit the conference room. I see him leaning against the wall, with an unreadable expression.

"I think you found him, now if you'll excuse me, I have a wife of my own to pick up." Max replies with a large smile and a wave.

"You look breathtaking Tris." He grabs my hand and spins me around to get a full view. "So sexy." He says, running his fingers down my exposed back and resting his hands right above my butt. He leans his forehead to mine. "Max told you?" He asks.

"Yes. Are you ok?" I reply.

"I should be asking you that." He sighs. "I don't know why Max felt the need to tell me right before this party. I hate thinking about it. So you think you can work with him?"

"We don't necessarily have a choice. I ran into him earlier, he was fine, and he didn't bother me at all. I'm sure he and I will need to eventually have a conversation, but tonight is about us and not him. Do you trust me?"

"Yes, with my all. I just don't trust him." He replies.

"I do, not in a relationship obviously, but when it comes to work ethic he's great. He's not going to take a chance of screwing this up just to get a rise out of either of us. Let's celebrate, and forget him, at least for tonight. Ok?" I ask.

"Ok, but I do have a very important question before we go."

"Alright..."

"Panties or no panties?" He smirks. I lean up and put my lips against his ear.

"Silver lace thong." I whisper.

"That's so hot. I would love to see that." He murmurs, brushing his lips against my ear. I step away from him and glance around the hallway and find it empty. I reach under my dress and slip my thong down, stepping out of it. I pick it up and tuck it into Eric's inside jacket pocket, and kiss him fully.

"There you go. You can see it all you want." I walk away, towards the Pit glancing over my shoulder. "You coming?" I ask. Eric's eyes are huge and his mouth open.

"Not yet, but I guarantee I will be before this party is over." He catches up to me, grabs my hand and bites my neck as we walk into our party together.


	5. Party Time! Excellent!

Chapter 5: Party Time! Excellent!

Eric POV

Tris and I are making our way through the ridiculously crowded pit, getting high fives, hugs, handshakes and random other rowdiness. This is great, but all I can think about is my hot as fuck wife walking around without any undergarmets under that sexy as fuck dress. She seriously put her panties in my pocket. She's saying something to me. Focus.

"Hey, there's Lana, I'm going to go talk to her really quick, I'll be right back." I nod. God her ass is amazing in that dress. There's nothing between the silky, thin fabric of that dress and her perfect ass. Naked. Shit. Down boy!

"Dude, you're married? How did I miss this? I thought she was with the number idiot." My friend Jason yells in my ear. "Fuck, where were you hiding her? She is smoking hot. That dress. Holy shit."

I glare at my idiot friend and yet he keeps on talking and staring at my wife.

"Seriously, how did you pull that off? That chick has had a line waiting for her to dump the stupid fuck and somehow your grumpy ass made it to the top? How?" He finally removes his eyes from my wife and looks at me. "Oh shit, dude I'm drunk, don't kill me."

"You're extremely lucky that I like you Jason. You've spent the last 5 minutes eye fucking my wife while questioning how I could pull it off." He looks petrified, my work here is done.

"Sorry man. Seriously though, how did I miss that relationship? You got with her behind his back? That must feel pretty damn good." He laughs. I glare. "Shit, Eric calm the fuck down. You have one of the hottest chicks in the compound. Own that shit, bathe in it, gloat like a mother fucker. You gotta be at least a little proud of that." He gestures over to Tris.

"I'm extremely proud of my wife, but not because I pulled anything over anyone. I wanted her, I waited for her to become available, and I made my move. Simple. I wasn't going to waste time, so when she finally ended it with Four I took my chance. Now we're here celebrating not only her becoming a leader faster than anyone else in Dauntless history, but also the fact that I'm lucky enough to call her mine."

"That was seriously poetic man. All kidding aside, congrats." He offers his hand and I shake it. "You ever gonna tell me how you pulled it off though?" I roll my eyes at him. "Look I'm proud of you, never knew you had it in you."

"Thanks. I'm gonna go rescue Tris from the Pedrad brothers. We'll have to grab a drink later." He nods and I head over to Tris.

"Why is it every time I find you Pedrad's you are accosting my wife?" I find Uri on one side and Zeke on the other side arms around Tris's back and shoulders.

"She's our sister. You're just going to have to get use to it." Uri laughs while I glare. "Dude, drink, you're looking like you're gonna kill me again. Tris, help!"

"Don't scare my friends." She places a wet kiss on my lips. "Hello sexy husband."

"Hello gorgeous wife." I bite her bottom lip before sucking on it. "Want a drink?"

"Indeed I do. Tequila?" She smiles.

"Let's head to the bar." I grab her hand and pull her through the crowd. We get to the bar and order 2 shots.

"May I?" She asks, scooting off of her barstool to stand between my legs, facing me.

"Sure." I smile. She unbuttons the top 3 buttons of my shirt, and starts kissing and licking my collarbone. She sprinkles some salt on it, and places the lime wedge between my lips. She licks the salt, takes her shot and grabs the lime wedge with her teeth. She then drags her tongue across my lips.

"You taste good." She smiles and pulls away before I can kiss her. "Your turn."

"Turn around." I command. I lick her exposed back, between her shoulder blades and up to her neck. I shake some salt on her. I lick the salt, and watch Tris shiver in front of me. I take my shot, then whisper "Turn around and open your mouth." When she does I squeeze the lime juice in her mouth and kiss her, sucking her tongue to taste the lime. We continue making out until we need air.

"Fuck. You win. Bathroom?" She whispers in my ear.

"Thought you'd never ask." She grabs my hand snaking through the bar. We find a door, but it ends up being to a storage room, Tris drags me inside and locks the door.

"This will work. Fuck me now. You, inside me, right now." She's unbuckling my belt and pushing my pants and boxers down. I put one finger inside of her and she is soaked. I move her towards a counter, turn her around, bend her over and hike her dress up. I thrust into her and immediately start pounding into her, yanking on her braid. I don't need to ask her how she wants it, I already know. "Eric, yes, like that, harder." She pants.

"Tell me, do you like this Tris? Is this where you wanted me?"

"Yes, fuck, I love it. I love you."

She reaches down and starts rubbing her clit. I pull her up so I can kiss her neck. "God baby I'm cumming" she whimpers and I can feel her walls throbbing around my cock. I yank on her braid and pull her face towards me so I can kiss her. She thrusts her tongue into my mouth. I reach around her and start rubbing and pinching her clit. She moans in my mouth. "Faster baby I'm so close." She moans.

"I want you to cum with me. You can do it." I whisper against her lips while increasing my speed. "Let go baby."

"Eric!" She screams and I spill in her, screaming her name in return.

"That was..."

"amazing. So fucking hot." She finishes. "God I hope no one heard us."

"The music is loud and they're drinking. Who cares?" I slowly pull out and Tris whimpers. She turns around and kisses me softly. She reaches down and starts stroking my cock.

"I want to taste you." She whispers before dropping to her knees. Sweet mother of god how this woman gets me instantly hard is beyond me. She's running her tongue around my head and fully takes me in her mouth. I have to will myself not to thrust into her, this feels amazing. She's sucking hard, while using her hands to stroke what she can't fit into her mouth.

"Tris..." I can't form words. I feel a white hot burning in my abdomen. "Baby I'm gonna cum." I have my hands in her hair and I'm guiding her head back and forth. She reaches for my balls and I lose all control.

"Fuck, Tris..." I explode into her mouth, she licks me clean before standing up.

"You taste amazing." She says before I attack her mouth with mine.

"My turn." I kneel in front of her and prop one of her legs over my shoulder. I immediately dive in to her hot folds, licking her slit from front to back. I put one finger inside and use my thumb to rub her clit. She's squeezing her thighs together and moaning.

"Holy...oh...god...yes...Eric...yes..."

I add a second finger and start sucking and nibbling on her clit. I'm pumping my fingers into her hard and she's grinding on my mouth.

"I...god...gonna...oh...I'm...cumming...Eric!"

She cums hard, I keep pumping my fingers until she rides out her orgasm. I remove my fingers and lick them clean. Once I stand up, Tris leans against me and throws her arms around me.

"My legs won't work. I can't stand. That was so good baby." She says, breathing hard into my neck.

"I can't believe how lucky I am. You are the best thing to ever happen to me. I love you." I kiss the top of her head.

"I really love you." She replies, kissing my jaw and pulling back from our embrace. "How bad is my hair?"

"Shit. Sorry. Want me to help take the braid out?" I ask. She nods and we work together to detangle her hair. "Does it look ok now?"

"It looks like you were fucked hard over a counter, and eaten out like it was my job. I like it." I smirk.

"Ass! I'm going to the restroom to fix my hair. Meet you at the back bar?"

"Here take these and put them on," I toss her panties at her "If you don't I'm not going to let you leave this room. I can't concentrate knowing there is nothing between my cock and it's home."

"You have no self control." She slides her thong back into place.

"Mmmhmmm. Says the girl who dragged me into a storage room and told me to get inside of her now. Go fix your hair. I'll see you at the bar." Her jaw drops open and I kiss her quickly and head out of the room and straight to the bar. I order 2 rum and cokes and turn around to wait for Tris. While scanning the crowd I make eye contact with Four and he starts walking over.

"Eric." He says, sitting in the vacant stool next to me.

"Four."

"Great party. Lots of people."

"I don't do small talk, especially with you. What do you want?" I ask.

"Look, can we just call a truce? We're going to be working together and I'm sick of the bullshit between us. You got what you wanted." He says.

"You think this is just about Tris? She wasn't a pawn in some game, so you'd better think long and hard about the next words that come out of your mouth, especially if any of them concern my wife." I growl.

"Fine. For some reason she seems to love you. I'm not going to pretend to understand what happened between you two, but I'm also not going to lie to myself or anyone else about the fact that I drove her away. I was an awful boyfriend, and she deserves better, although I'm not convinced that you're better."

"It's a good thing you're not the one I care about convincing."

"Fair enough. I hope it works out, however you both want. I want her in my life. You don't have to like that, but her friendship means something to me, so I'm going to hope that she can find a way to forgive me. I can, and will respect your marriage and I hope you can, and will respect any friendship she and I may be able to salvage." He replies.

"I'm willing to do that as long as you don't let your insecurities bleed into that friendship. I know you tried, successfully I might add, to make her believe I was some sort of attack dog for Jeanine long after you knew the truth. This isn't a contest Four. I love her, and I married her for that reason. Whatever issue you have with me needs to be squashed. You were angry at me for things you decided in your head regardless of the factual truth that was in front of your face. If you truly want this truce, you drop the bullshit in the past and focus on what is in front of you moving forward, professionally and personally. I'll do the same."

"Deal." He extends his hand. I shake it.

"Don't make me regret this." I reply. He nods.

"Congratulations. Make her happy, and treat her the way she deserves."

"I certainly will." I see Tris walking towards us, a look of fear across her features. I nod my head and smile at her. She walks to me, and stands between my legs with one arm around me.

"Is everything ok?" She asks, looking between Four and me.

"I asked for a truce and Eric accepted. I know you asked for you and I to not talk about this tonight, and I'm good with that. Congratulations again to you both." He raises his drink, I hand Tris her drink and lift mine, we clink glasses and each take a sip. "Abby should be here soon, enjoy your evening." He walks off towards the door.

"What was that?" Tris asks, looking at me with a questioning expression.

"Your ex taking advantage of my post coital bliss to call a truce." I smile.

"Seriously? You guys called a truce?"

"Seriously. He said the right things and I gave him the terms. We agreed and shook on it."

"Sounds so formal." She turns around and faces me, putting her arms around my neck and playing with the hair on the back of my head. "You continue to make me proud of you."

"Haven't you figured out that there is nothing I won't do to make you happy?" I ask, running my fingers up and down her bare back and tugging on the ends of her long hair every once in awhile.

"I'm figuring it out." She smiles.

"You seriously look beautiful tonight babe. Chris outdid herself. I can't keep my hands off of you."

"Good, I love your hands on me. Why do you think I always needed so much help when we were working on sparring and physical training?" She asks.

"You're kidding me, right? You realize that physical training was only supposed to be one week and I turned it into three?" I laugh. "It meant I could pin you to the floor without anyone being suspicious."

"Oh, I realized it. I liked feeling this pressed against me." She runs her fingers down the front of my pants.

"Shit, I was hoping you never noticed that."

"Oh believe me, it was impossible not to notice." She kisses the underside of my jaw.

"You are going to be the death of me. I can't even count how many times I've already came today and you're dangerously close to me taking you on this bar."

"We have months of missed time to make up for." She replies, while kissing my neck. "And you made me put my panties back on, I might need help taking them off."

"Trissypoo!" A very drunk Uriah followed by an equally drunk Marlene stumble over to us. "You're married Trissypoo! To one scary dude." He tries to say that last part in a whisper.

"Hi guys. Having fun?" Tris asks, amused.

I pull Tris on my lap to help hide the excitement she so kindly left me with.

"Yup!" Marlene says, popping the P. "Where's everybody at?"

"Not sure. I told Chris that we were gonna try to stay close to this bar, but I haven't seen her in awhile. Have you seen Shauna?" Tris asks.

I point to the second very drunk Pedrad couple who are practically dry humping on the dance floor. "One couple down, one to go." I laugh.

"Tris, guess what!" Christina's high pitched voice reaches us before we see her. Finally, we see Will dragging Chris to the bar.

"Great, everyone's here." I say, sarcastically. The only good thing about being sober at this moment is remembering what happened in the storage room is the reason behind said sobriety. This is not helping my hard on.

"Wait, we need Shauna." Chris yells and scurries over to Zeke and Shauna dragging them over to the bar.

"Ok everyone's here. Tell them!" Chris says to Will.

"Chris and I just got married in Max's office." Jaws, including mine, drop. Chris is beaming. Focus has now returned to the head on my shoulders.

"Are you serious?" Zeke asks.

"Yes!" Will exclaims.

"What the fuck, is this gonna be an everyday occurrence?" Marlene laughs.

"Don't get any ideas woman!" Uri playfully shouts.

"Guys, I am so happy for you!" Tris yells, pulling Will and Chris in for a hug. The Pedrad's soon turn it into a group hug that I am somehow dragged into.

"It looks like we're gonna have to have a party for you two now." Shauna says. "Congrats for real!"

"It won't be as awesome as this leadership party, but we can damn sure make something happen." Zeke says with a wide smile. Uri is nodding next to him. "One week from today, at me and Shauna's place?" We all agree.

"Tris, what happened to your hair?" Chris asks. Luckily it's too dim to see Tris blush, but I know it's there.

"I liked her hair better down. Blame me." I reply, pulling Tris back up on my lap.

"Mmmmhmmmm. It looks like the newlyweds found somewhere to fuck." Chris replies with an evil grin.

"I'm pretty sure you guys are the newlyweds now." Marlene says to Chris. "Now it's your turn to find someplace to fuck." Everyone laughs. Chris gives Will a look that I recognize. I lean over and tap him.

"Storage room, past the bar, left hand side. Has a locking door. Have fun." I say, just so Will can hear.

"Thanks man, I owe you." He drags Chris off in that direction. I can feel Tris laughing.

"That was almost a friendly move. Careful Coulter, our friends may actually believe you care for them." Tris says.

"Nonsense." I laugh.

"Ok, we're outta here. I need sex." Uriah exclaims, dragging Marlene with him. "Congrats again Trissypoo and Eric!" He yells over his shoulder while Marlene blows kisses back at us.

"Drink?" Zeke asks, we all agree. "I'm gonna get shots. Four!" He yells over my shoulder.

"Wow Zeke, volume control?" Four replies.

"You should have shots with us. Come on man." Zeke says, waving him over. "Bring your girl." Zeke is obviously drunk and not thinking.

"Come on, drink with us." Tris says. "It's fine. Really." I'm actually surprised at this, but I'm willing to watch it play out as long as she's ok.

Four walks over with a girl in tow. She hangs on to him like her life is depending on it. Tris backs up against me and pulls my arms tight around her. I rest my chin on her shoulder.

"So, Four, aren't you going to introduce us?" Shauna asks.

"Everyone, this is Abby. Abby, this is Zeke, Shauna, Eric and Tris." Four says, making introductions. I can't help but notice that this girl is nothing like Tris. She's stockier, short bright red hair, and heavily pierced and tattooed. She mumbles a forced hello to everyone, and appears to be very uncomfortable.

"Ok, shots, any preferences?" Zeke asks, oblivious to anyone's comfort level.

"How about red headed sluts?" Shauna asks, smiling sweetly. I literally have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. Tris is shaking her head slightly.

"Sounds good, be right back." The ever clueless elder Pedrad brother wanders to the end of the bar to order drinks.

"You ok?" I whisper in Tris's ear.

"Yes." She turns around slightly and smiles, then pulls my face down to hers for a kiss.

"So, Abby, what do you do besides Four?" Shauna asks. I have to remember to thank Shauna for this entire conversation tomorrow.

"I work in the infirmary as a nurse." She answers awkwardly.

"You must know Marlene then." Tris says, and Four looks worried.

"Um, yeah, I do." She replies.

"She and her boyfriend Uriah are some of our best friends." Tris says.

"Oh, ok. She's nice." Abby replies, looking at the ground like its the most interesting thing she's ever seen.

"So, Four, how did you and Abby meet?" Shauna asks.

Four is visibly squirming, "Um, I got cut with one of the throwing knives and I went to the infirmary. Abby did my stitches." He replies.

"Wow, that was over 6 months ago." Tris says.

"She must have done a great job. So you guys have been together for over 6 months?" Shauna asks, her eyes boring holes into Four.

"Shauna, is that really necessary?" He asks.

"Well, it's something I'd ask any couple I've just met. I interrogated them too." She gestures to us.

"Ok, I think it's well established that Abby and I got together while Tris and I were still living together. Do you really need specifics?" He asks.

"I don't, but she sure as fuck deserves to hear it." Shauna says, voice raising.

"You do realize they're married right? You can be as pissed at me as you want about what I did, but she didn't fall in love with him overnight. Tris and I should have ended things before we started something else but for some reason neither of us had the guts to do it until one of us was caught. Not that any of this is anyone's business except ours." He gestures at Tris.

Zeke returns with our shots but before he can say a word Tris speaks.

"Lets just get this over with. Abby, you were fucking my now ex boyfriend, probably for a long time before I caught you both in our shower. While it was a shitty thing to do to another woman, I really don't give a fuck because as you can see I have this incredibly sexy and amazing husband, and you have a boyfriend who may or may not cheat _on_ you the same way he cheated _with_ you. Four, I can give you the same speech, but really it boils down to this - we were both unhappy in our relationship. You physically cheated, I emotionally checked out. We should have been adult enough to talk to each other and end it before it came down to what it did. You are right about one thing and that is I fell in love with someone else while I was with you, and you fucked someone else while you were with me. Neither one of us are innocent here. I'm not sorry it ended, because I am exactly where I need to be. I hope the same can be said for you both. You called for a truce with my husband and now I'm calling for one with you. As for you Abby, I don't have to like you, and I probably won't for awhile until I can get the image of you having sex in my shower out of my mind, but you respect my friendship with him and I'll respect your relationship. Now, can we fucking drink?"

Four simply nods and Abby looks like she's going to be sick. She whispers something in his ear and he quickly shakes his head.

Surprisingly Abby speaks "Tris, I'm sorry for disrespecting you and your home. I appreciate you talking to me, and I do hope that you and Four can be friends."

I can't see the look on Tris' face, but I can feel the tension in her body. I rub my hands on her arms and shoulders and she relaxes.

"Apology accepted. Now Zeke, please give me my drink." She replies.

Zeke passes shots to everyone and says "I'd like to propose a toast. Tris, congrats on your accomplishments with leadership. You're gonna do fucking awesome things. And to Eric and Tris, congrats on your marriage, I think you're both mean as hell and perfect for each other. Drink bitches!" We laugh and take our shots.

"We're going to head out. Thanks for the drink." Four says, taking his awkward girlfriend with him.

As soon as they're out of earshot, Shauna says "Holy shit Tris, that speech was epic."

"Almost as good as you asking for a red headed slut." Tris replies, high fiving Shauna.

"Or asking her what she does besides Four." I reply. "Seriously Shauna, well done."

"What a fucking downgrade." Shauna says.

"Yeah. She has more metal in her face than skin. At least you don't look like a human pincushion." Zeke says, motioning to me. "Sorry for bringing them over here, I wasn't thinking. I'm still getting used to your break up." He says the last part to Tris.

"No biggie. It's not like I'm never going to see Four again, so I may as well try to keep the peace. Besides, he's your best friend, and I don't want to lose any of you."

"That's very mature of you." Shauna says.

"I'm surprised she apologized." I say.

"Me too. I guess I should be angry at them but I'm not. It woke me up." Tris replies.

"And got you married." Zeke laughs.

"I should have thanked her." I reply and earn a smack on the arm from Tris. "Seriously, how much longer would you have kept me waiting?"

"Good point." She replies.

"What'd we miss?" A disheveled, but happy Will rejoins the group.

"A whole fucking lot." Shauna laughs.

"Where's Chris?" Tris asks.

"Fixing her hair." Will replies, Tris breaks out laughing.

"That was one hell of a speech. I'm so proud of you." I say to Tris. She kisses me gently.

"Zeke, can you order a bottle of Tequila? I think it's time for us to party Coulter style." Tris announces with a huge smile.

"Fuck yeah!" Zeke replies.

It's gonna be a fun night.


	6. Physical Pain and Gain

**Thanks for all the reviews and follows!**

Chapter 6: Physical pain and gain.

Tris POV

"I can't believe we have to go back to work." I whine while putting my makeup on. Eric and I debated on getting away for our honeymoon, but we ultimately decided to stay here. We spent our time getting to know each other better, and managed to christen almost every surface in our apartment. And some outside our apartment too. What can I say, my husband is an extremely talented man.

"I know. I've gotten pretty used to having you around all the time. I'm still loving that you've taken your vows so seriously." He replies, kissing my neck.

"Our office doors do lock, so if you have a demand that needs to be met I'd certainly accommodate." I reply, meeting his lusty eyes in the reflection of our bathroom mirror.

"God, I love you. Ready for breakfast?" He asks.

"Lead the way." We head down to the cafeteria and find Zeke, Shauna, Four and Abby sitting at a table. Eric looks at me and I shrug, heading over to sit down.

"Holy hell, you are alive. We haven't seen you two all week." Shauna says.

"That's because they spent their honeymoon fucking each other senseless." Chris says, sitting down with Will beside her. Four shifts uncomfortably next to Zeke. I shake my head at Chris.

"Welcome back guys, how was Amity?" I ask Chris and Will.

"It was really beautiful. There's something to be said for those hippies." Will replies. "We spent a lot of time indoors though." He wiggles his eyebrows and Chris laughs."I can imagine so." Eric replies with a laugh. Uri and Marlene join the group.

"At least they left the compound. You and Tris couldn't tear yourselves away from each other long enough to open your apartment door." Shauna replies laughing hysterically.

"Jesus Christ, it sounds like you've had more sex with him in a week than we did in a year and a half." Four says and the table goes silent and I swear Abby looks like she's choking.

"We may have surpassed that in the first two days." I reply. I can tell everyone is bracing for a fight. Four shakes his head and then laughs a genuine laugh. We all soon join in.

"Wow, way to make me feel like less than a man. Thanks for that, I suppose I left the door open for it." He laughs.

"A little bit." Eric replies and we all relax.

"So, we have an announcement." Shauna says getting our attention. "Zeke and I are engaged!" She's wiggling her ring finger that boasts a sparkly black diamond surrounded by smaller white diamonds.

"Oh my gosh that is great news!" Chris squeals. I walk over to hug both Shauna and Zeke, and the rest of the group offers their congratulations with handshakes and hugs.

"So, how'd it happen?" Marlene asks Zeke.

"I actually proposed to him." Shauna says with a smile.

"That's because the two times I brought it up you acted like I was crazy, woman!" Zeke laughs.

"Well, I wasn't sure if you were serious since each time it was related to the demise of someone else's relationship. That's not the most romantic setting." I feel Four looking at me so I glance up and shrug my shoulders.

"It doesn't matter how it happened, I'm happy for my bro and future sis!" Uri replies.

"Have you decided on a date?" Chris asks.

"Not really. Maybe we will follow tradition and just get married in Max's office. It seems to be working for you guys." Shauna replies with a smirk.

"I'll bring the tequila." Eric offers.

"Don't forget the salt and limes for the full experience." Will adds.

"It might help if Max is just as drunk as you are too. He's pretty hilarious." I say.

"That's how you two got married? You were drunk?" Four asks looking at Eric. I can feel Eric's grip on my thigh tighten and see the tension in his jaw.

"How we got married doesn't really concern you, Four." I reply.

"Fine. Whatever makes you happy." He replies looking at his plate. "So, Tris, what will be working on today?"

"Max usually gives us an outline. We'll see him after we're done here." I reply. Eric's tension is still radiating off of him.

"Hey, are you ok?" I whisper to him. He does a quick head shake.

"Ok everyone, we need to go. Four, you have some time so no rush, meet me at my office by 9, ok?"

"Sure." He replies.

Once we are out of the cafeteria I try to find out what's bothering Eric.

"Hey, what happened back there?" I ask.

He stops walking and looks at me. "Tris, do you regret marrying me?"

"No, why would you ask me that? Do you?"

"No, absolutely not. It's just when Four reacted the way he did asking if we were drunk it just made me wonder. Plus I know all of your friends have been giving you the third degree. It's not like you would have agreed to marry me if we were sober." He replies.

"Eric, you don't know that any more than you know if you would have even asked me to marry you if you were sober. It doesn't matter how it happened, I'm happy. Don't overthink it, ok?" I reply.

"You're right." He leans his head down so our foreheads are touching. "I love you."

"And I love you. Let's get to work."

We walk hand in hand to our offices and Max immediately calls out to us. "Coulter's, come see me please."

"We're now one entity I see." I laugh. Eric chuckles too.

We head to Max's office and sit down.

"Hey, good morning you two, and welcome back. Just wanted to go over a couple of things. First is we're going to need Four to share an office with you Tris. It's just temporary, his office is under renovation at the moment, we're splitting Harrison's old office into two separate offices. Next, I want Four to go with us to the leadership meeting tomorrow." Max says.

"Max, with all due respect, we didn't bring Tris into the leadership meetings until she had a couple of months of training under her belt. Why the rush?" Eric asks.

"I've been informed that we're moving to weekly leadership meetings. Also, it's no longer a requirement for all leaders to attend as long as the faction is represented by at least one leader. With this increase in frequency, we need to get Four in the mix as soon as possible, or it'll just be the three of us going. Harrison retiring early has put us in a bit of a bind, and I'm not sure were adequately staffed to have both you and Tris focusing on trainees. We need to get Four up to speed as quickly as possible because we're now going to need a 5th leader. Plus, we have choosing day right around the corner, and I still want Four involved with training. Tris, I want you to start the physical training today and continue through this week. I'll have a revised outline to you before the end of the day tomorrow for the rest of the training schedule. Any questions?"

"No, I'm good, thanks Max." I reply. Eric shakes his head.

"Ok, you're dismissed. And I'm glad to have you both back." He smiles.

We head out of Max's office and I see Four waiting outside of mine. I give Eric a quick kiss and we head to our separate offices. I can tell Eric is still tense about something.

"Hey, go ahead and get changed and meet me in the training room in 30." I say to Four. He nods and heads off. I go into Eric's office.

"You ready to talk about it?" I ask. He leans back in his chair.

"Is he gone?" He asks

"Yeah I sent him to change and told him to meet me in the training room in 30. What's going on?"

"I'm having a hard time with the thought of you training with Four today. The physical part. I remember how ours went." He says.

"Eric even if neither of us knew it or would admit it, we were falling in love. It's not comparable. I wanted to touch you, and you to touch me as much as I could get. This, with Four, is just my job. You trust me, right?"

"Of course I do. As I said before, it's him I don't trust. I'm being a jealous idiot already, huh?"

"No, you're reacting the same way I would. I hate the thought of one day you having to train a female leader. We just have to remember that this is simply work, and at the end of the day we love and respect each other."

"You're wise beyond your years." He smiles. I walk over and sit on his lap.

"It's the Erudite in me." I grin. "I've gotta go change. I love you, thank you for talking to me." I give him a soft kiss.

"I love you too. Will it bother you if I drop in?"

"Not at all. It'll probably be helpful if he spars with you as well. Physically, you're more matched. I'm heading out."

"See you at lunch if not before." He kisses me before I head out.

I quickly get changed and head to the training room. Four is already there warming up on a punching bag.

"Your form needs work. Keep tension in your stomach." I say.

He turns around and grins. "This is definitely a role reversal. Should I stay on the bags?"

"Yeah, for now. I need to warm up too." I start with the bag next to him. We warm up together in relative silence.

"Ready to spar?" I ask.

"Sure."

We head to the mat and get into our fighting stances. Four is still using the stance he taught in my initiation class, while I use Eric's style.

"Ok, we're starting slow. Not looking to hurt each other, but we need to point out each other's weaknesses, and how we'd exploit them. Got it?" He nods.

I send a punch towards his face, when he adjusts to block I use my left hand to punch him in the stomach. "Your stance is leaving your torso vulnerable. Try this" I walk over to him and move his arms slightly and change the angle of his legs. "Ok that looks good, let's try again."

Four tries to kick me, I block it and then he sweeps my legs from under me. He has me pinned down. "You left your legs vulnerable when you blocked." He says. "How would you get out?" I quickly flip us so I'm pinning him.

"You didn't pin my legs properly." I reply with a smile. "How would _you_ get out?"

"Distraction." He leans up and kisses me. I immediately pull back and he pins me down. I can feel him hardening against my thigh. He quickly gets up and offers me a hand. I shake my head.

"Four, you can't do that." I say angrily.

"It was just a distraction Tris, and it worked."

"It wasn't appropriate. Don't do it again. And do something about that, please. We can't continue unless you can calm down." I point at his crotch.

"Oh, cold water will work, I'll be right back." He walks towards the locker room.

What in the world just happened? He seemed to have no issues with the way he acted, and reacted. It's uncomfortable. He's walking out of the locker room towards me, his issue under control. He sits down across from me on the mat.

"Cold water did the trick. Sorry, I couldn't help that part of it. Physical attraction was never our issue."

"We shouldn't be talking about our issues. You ready to continue?" I ask. He shakes his head no.

"Look, I think we need to talk about it, it'll make training together easier." He says.

"Fine, speak." I reply.

"I'm sorry for kissing you. You were right, it wasn't appropriate. Tris, I'm still very physically attracted to you, so it's not easy to control some things. Especially when it's been so long with us."

"Four..."

"Tobias." He replies.

"No, _Four_. You didn't touch me for the last almost 6 months of our relationship. How can you physically react to me now, but not when you could have had the chance? Is it because now you can't have me?"

"I don't know, I'm confused. I wish we had of had one more moment before it ended I guess."

"You make no sense, it's like you like the chase but once you catch whatever it is you're chasing you get bored and move on." I reply. "It wasn't fair to me and it certainly isn't fair to Abby now."

"I'm really sorry for the way I treated you."

"You don't know how you treated me Four. You were great at first, but that's because I was doing everything exactly how you wanted. As soon as I chose to go into leadership you treated me like I was an initiate, and that's only when you actually paid attention to me. Other times you acted like I was just part of the apartment. It got to a point where the only time you spoke to me was when we fought about my job."

"I had reason to be upset about your job didn't I? You have a habit of falling in love with your instructors." He says coldly.

"Your timeline is off, Four. I was loyal to you and to our relationship. It wasn't until you started degrading me, ignoring me, acting cold and pushing me away that I stopped trying. Did you not notice that? You lost interest in me, started fucking Abby and pushed me aside. Think about it, I didn't deny you sex, you denied me. I wanted more passion, and you gave it to her. All I wanted was to be an equal, to have your support and your love, and for you to want me the way I wanted you. I wanted you to be proud of me, but once you had me in the most vulnerable state you broke me. I didn't start falling for Eric until I stopped loving you."

He stares hard at me, mouth set in a line and eyes narrowed. This is his intimidation tactic, and I refuse to look away.

"I can't do this. I can't touch you right now without wanting you. Even after hearing all of that." He finally says.

"You need to grow up and be professional. We have to work together. Four, you had me and took me for granted. The thing is that you don't even want me right now, you just don't want someone else to have me. Least of all, Eric. Get your shit together. Learn your lesson and move on."

"Like you did, right? It was so easy for you." He huffs.

"Why did you even take this position? Why ask Eric for a truce? Why tell me you want to be friends? What's in this for you? You have someone else just like I do. You have Abby, you told her you loved her Four, I heard it. Why are you acting this way?"

"Why did it have to be Eric? Of all people it had to be him right? You couldn't settle for a revenge fuck, you had to have a revenge marriage. Take a bow Tris, that was pretty fanfuckingtastic." He claps.

"Go to lunch. Be back here at 1." I get off the mat and walk out of the training room. I don't stop walking until I get to Eric's office. I knock on his door and hear a disgruntled "What?"

I open the door and his expression softens. "Sorry, I didn't know it was you. What's wrong?"

"How do you always know?" I sigh. Flopping in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"What happened?" He asks.

"First, you need to promise me you're not going to flip out."

He scowls. "Tris, talk now."

"Fine. We were sparring and when I had him pinned he kissed me as a distraction." Eric's face goes red. "After his distraction move, he pinned me but got, um, excited. After that was under control he wanted to talk, but it didn't exactly go well. I told him he was very inappropriate, and he apologized, but then the conversation turned pretty brutal. I think I may need your help with the physical stuff, but I don't know what Max will think." I get it all out quickly, rip the bandaid.

"Jesus. I knew this was a bad idea. Are you ok?" He asks.

"Yeah, just was uncomfortable. I need to be able to work with him, and I told him to get his shit together."

"I want to know all that was said Tris." I can tell he's desperately trying to keep his cool. I go over the entire conversation with him and his expression is unreadable.

"Eric, say something."

"I will help with the physical training." He says.

"That's it?"

"I trust you. You handled yourself well. I'm not upset with you, I'm pissed at him. Come here." I walk over and sit on his lap and he wraps his arms around me. "Now, he and I will have a conversation, but I'm going to calm down first so I can be professional." He kisses my head. "He crossed boundaries, and I'm sure he wouldn't have acted that way had it been Max or me. Not a good first day for him. Ready for lunch?"

"Sure, let's go." I sigh.

We walk to the cafeteria hand in hand. We find Uri and Marlene and go to sit with them.

"Hey fearless leaders." Uri grins.

"Hey Uri, hey Mar." I reply.

"Why is angry Eric back?" Uri asks.

"Bad day." He replies.

"Sorry guys, I have to run. Infirmary is short staffed. Abby called out because her and Four broke up." Marlene rolls her eyes then kisses Uri. "Bye everyone."

"Interesting." Eric says angrily.

"You know I work in the control room..." Uri says.

"What about it?" Eric barks.

"I saw what happened in training, and so did others who were in there with me. I assume that's where your bad day is stemming from. He shouldn't have done what he did. I saved it, audio and video, just in case." Uriah replies.

Eric softens a bit. "Thanks Uriah. Really. That was cool of you."

"It's no problem."

"So Four and Abby break up and suddenly he's making moves on you? I don't like it Tris." Eric says.

"He didn't mention anything about the break up. He wasn't really hitting on me either, just wanted to talk through some relationship crap, but he handled it all wrong. He said it'd make it easier to work together. I don't think he's trying to come between us, I think he's just trying to rationalize what went wrong with our relationship. Truce or no truce, he's still bitter that I moved on with you. Until he can physically control himself I'd feel better if you were there." I reply.

"Eric, I can help too if you can't." Uri says.

"Pedrad, you really surprise me sometimes. Thank you." He replies.

"I told you, she's pretty much my sister. I look out for her." He grins at me.

"We should go talk to Max." Eric says.

"I guess." I sigh.

"He needs to know." He replies.

"I know, I just can't help but think he's going to be upset with me. Is it my fault?"

"Well, you're really freaking hot, so I can see why he did it." Uriah laughs. "And angry Eric is back."

"So she's like a sister until you want to talk about how hot she is?" Eric asks.

"Precisely" Uriah answers then flashes a toothy grin. "Later newlyweds."

"I will never get used to your friendship with him." Eric rolls his eyes at me.

"Yes you will, he's a package deal so he comes with the marriage." I kiss his cheek. He turns my face towards him and kisses me hungrily. "Wow. I didn't think PDA was your thing Mr. Coulter."

"As your package deal friend just pointed out, my wife is hot. I couldn't help myself." He grins and nips at my earlobe. "I wish we were alone."

"I almost always wish that." I reply.

We head to Max's office and he waves us in.

"Four's already told me. How do you want to handle it Tris?" Max asks.

"What did he tell you exactly?" Eric asks.

"He kissed Tris, he has an issue controlling himself physically with her and that he couldn't keep his conversation professional. Is there more?"

"That is a surprisingly accurate account of what happened." Tris replies "I'd like to continue training him, with supervision. Eric and Uriah have already volunteered, and I'm sure I could get Zeke and Will if needed." I reply.

"Good plan. Tris, he could be disciplined for this if you choose." Max replies.

"That's not necessary. He took responsibility, and I'm hoping that once we're past the physical aspect of training that he will have an easier time." I reply.

"Eric, you're being awfully quiet. You do have a say in this, as a leader not her husband."

"I agree with and support Tris' decision." He replies.

"Very well. Eric, I assume you'll be supervising unless duty calls?" Max asks.

"Yes, if that's ok with you."

"Indeed it is. You're dismissed." Max replies.

"Thanks Max." I reply.

"Nicely handled Tris. Good work." He nods as we leave his office.

"We have 20 minutes, can I call in one of your vows?" I ask Eric once we're inside his office.

"Which one would that be?" He asks.

"Fucking me senseless." I reply, locking the door and taking off my pants. "I think we both could use some stress relief."

"That can certainly be arranged, I do take our wedding vows very seriously." He replies as he's unbuckling his pants. "Bend over baby." He whispers as he positions me over his desk. "Let's see how much you want me." He runs his calloused fingers through my folds. "You're always so wet for me. I love how responsive you are for me."

"Only for you Eric. Always you." He thrusts into me and fills me. "I want you to show me how much you want me. You know what I need baby." He pulls my ponytail roughly and starts pounding into me hard and fast.

"Is this what you needed Tris?" He pants.

"Yes. Baby you feel so fucking good inside of me." Eric reaches around and starts pinching my nipples. He pulls my head back and kisses me hard, forcing his tongue into my mouth.

"Tris, I want you to cum for me. Touch youself baby." He roughly kisses me again while I rub my clit. He's pounding into me relentlessly. I pinch my overstimulated bundle of nerves and feel my orgasm hitting me hard. I moan into Eric's mouth. He pushes me down on the desk and bends over me, biting my shoulder while spilling deep inside of me. He's breathing heavy while lying partially across my back, and holding the rest of his weight on one of his arms. "We could have been doing this for almost a year if you weren't so damn stubborn. That was the best quickie ever."

"I told you, we are gonna make up for it." I reply, catching my breath.

"Tonight, I want all of you. I wanna taste you." He whispers to me.

"I can't wait."

Eric pulls out of me slowly and we stand up. He turns me towards him and kisses me. "I love you." He says.

"I love you too."

"Feel better?" He asks with a shit eating grin.

"Much." I grin back at him.

"Lets go train the idiot." He says while pulling his pants back up. Once we are both dressed and presentable we head back to the training room. Four is there, sitting on the mat.

"Look man, I'm sorry, I fucked up. It won't happen again." He says to Eric. "Tris, I'm sorry. I was out of line. I went to Max already, I'm going to take whatever punishment you give."

"Your physical training will continue, but we will have supervision and help. Eric is here today to work with us. This is just a verbal warning between us, don't let that happen again. You treat me the same way you would treat him." I point at Eric "Understood?"

"Yes, again, I'm sorry both of you." Four replies.

"Strike one, Four. Let's keep it that way." Eric replies and Four nods. "You don't get to have a fight with your girlfriend and take it out on my wife. Understood?"

Four sighs. "You're right, and yes I do understand."

"Lets get warmed up." I say. We all start working the bags in silence.

"Let's go Four." Eric says. "On the mat."

"Same rules apply, you're not out for blood, you're picking apart each other's weaknesses. Have at it." I say.

Four immediately swings for Eric's jaw, he quickly blocks it and kicks Four in his side. "You leave your torso vulnerable." Eric says.

"Yeah Tris said the same thing. My stance is off." He replies. Eric walks over and adjusts his arms.

"Try that. It's awkward at first, but once you can master the footwork it'll feel more natural." Eric says.

"Four, lead with your opposite foot." I say.

They square off again, this time Four lands a kick on Eric and follows up with a punch to his temple. "Fuck!" Eric yells.

"Sorry man." Four says.

"Don't apologize, that was good. I need a second." Eric replies. "What were my weaknesses?"

"When I kicked you dropped your left arm slightly, it left your head vulnerable. Your piercings are also a weakness." Four replies.

"Yeah, we found that out during our last fight." Eric snickers and Four actually laughs.

The rest of training goes surprisingly well, with Four and Eric getting along and giving each other good criticsm.

"Ok guys, we're done for the day. Four, a moment please?" I say. Eric sits down on the mat.

"Tomorrow we're going to the leadership meeting in Candor." His face falls. "I know that your father will be there. This is the last meeting that all leaders are required to attend. They're switching formats to weekly meetings and only requiring one member of leadership to be present. Tomorrow, all four of us will be there. You don't need to interact with him, ok?"

"This is one of the reasons I've always avoided leadership." He sighs.

"I'll be there with you, ok? I'm not letting you face him alone."

"Thanks Tris. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Meet us at the train at 8:00." He nods and heads to the locker room.

I walk over to where Eric is sitting. I sit down and straddle his lap, leaning in for a kiss. He flips us over so he has me pinned to the mat.

"No distractions." He says, smirking.

"I want your cock in my mouth baby. When I'm done making you cum, I want you to eat me like I'm your last meal." I whisper. His eyes are wide and his lips are parted. I quickly flip us over and pin his arms and legs.

"Son of a bitch!"

"Distracted?" I ask, smiling.

"You don't play fair." He smirks. "I'm cashing in on a vow, you'll be joining me in the shower when we get home."

"Oh yeah, which one?"

"It definitely involves your distraction." He replies. I jump up and head for the door.

"Race ya."


	7. Confrontations and Revelations

Chapter 7: Confrontations and Revelations

Tris POV

"I've never liked coming here. It always seems so stuffy and formal." Four says, looking around nervously. He and I have been left to our own devices since Jack Kang whisked Max and Eric away. As usual, most of the other leaders are avoiding us like the plague. Dauntless has never been anyone's favorites, we're "too young" and "too loud" to be taken seriously.

"It's Candor, what do you expect? It's the slightly cuter sister of the hag known as Erudite." I reply.

He laughs a little too loudly and we get a few dirty looks. "Don't let your Erudite brained husband hear you say that." I roll my eyes at him. "You can't tell me he doesn't still act Erudite a lot of the time. You have heard him talk. Oh I forgot, you guys don't talk much since you're too busy doing _other_ things." I punch his arm. "Ouch!"

"Shut up you dork, people are staring at us." I gesture to the room full of leaders and Candor milling around us.

"These people are too uptight. Could you imagine living here? It'd be awful. Truth serum for breakfast. Interrogation for lunch. Group therapy for dinner." He smiles.

"Oh god, just dealing with a Candor born Dauntless is enough."

"God yes, Chris has no filter." He says shaking his head.

"None at all. Don't forget the lovely Peter Hayes."

"How he made it 18 years here is beyond me. There is no truth in that man." He replies.

"I know. Max can't stand him either. That's why he is on almost a permanent assignment away from Dauntless." I laugh.

"Why did Jack need Eric and Max?" He asks.

"No clue. I'm sure it's nothing major. Sometimes it seems like they just bullshit while setting the room up. The good ol' boys club." I grin.

"Right, we just don't fit in there yet, huh?" He smiles. "Well we can start our own little newbie's club."

"Yes we can. So, I heard from Marlene that you and Abby broke up. You ok?" I ask.

"We had a fight, stuff that needed to be talked about got yelled about instead. I was stupid." He sighs.

"I don't want to pry, but I'm here if you need to talk." I reply.

"Oh, no, I didn't feel like you were prying. I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable. The fight was about you."

"Me? Why?"

"She's threatened by us working together. The night before last we got into a fight about it, and I assured her that you and I were just friends and things were strictly professional. She wasn't completely convinced, but we were ok. So, in what was officially the worst move ever I almost prove her right by the way I acted with you yesterday. She happened to be in the control room with Marlene visiting Uri and she saw the whole thing that happened with us in the training room."

"Oh wow. I do have to say, that wasn't your finest moment."

"No shit. It was stupid of me to act that way. I had finally convinced Abby that I didn't want you and then the very next day I felt like I needed to somehow make you want me. See what I mean, stupid."

"Are you guys ok now?" I ask.

"I think so. We talked it out, instead of me shutting down and being an ass. She gets it. I really do care about her."

"I can see that, and I'm glad you talked to her instead of shutting down. Tobias, are we ok? Yesterday was really uncomfortable for me."

"I'm sorry about that. Really. I got carried away. Physically, I'm definitely still attracted to you, and I guess the close contact was just a bit much for me. I really didn't mean for that to happen. The kiss was dumb, I shouldn't have done it. Just me being a stupid testosterone filled man wanting to make sure you wanted me. Jesus, this is embarrassing." He laughs and I join him.

"Just picture Eric or Max next time and you should be fine." I laugh as he shudders.

"That was terrible."

"But effective. You should try it." I grin and he smacks my arm lightly.

"I really don't like you right now."

"See, it's already working." I laugh and he joins in.

"I'm really glad we can be friends. I've missed this." He says, nudging me with his hip.

"Me too. In all honesty, I think friends is what we were meant to be. Outside of the physical attraction, the only thing that was keeping us together was that we had so much in common. Both from Abnegation, both first in our classes, both divergent it was like we were expected to be this perfect power couple. We just weren't, and that's ok." I reply.

"You are exactly right. I'm still glad you were my first though, you know. Our backgrounds made that a lot easier since we understood each other. I know I've been pretty much an asshole when it comes to Eric, but honestly I would have never guessed how good you two would be for each other." He shakes his head and chuckles. "Words that I never thought would come out of my mouth. You are definitely not Abnegation anymore."

"I'm happy that you've found someone too. You needed to be a little less Abnegation, and based on what I walked in on I think you're accomplishing that." I nudge him as he blushes and shakes his head again.

"Can you believe where we are right now? Literally and figuratively? We're sitting in Candor about to attend a leadership meeting together. It's still surreal." He says.

"I'm still surprised you accepted Max's offer. You turned it down for two years, and we spent most of our time together fighting about it. What changed?" I ask.

"Us. You. Eric." I quirk my eyebrow at him. " I'm getting there, be patient. At first, I thought Eric and Max were working with Jeanine, and I wanted no part of that. Then, when you decided to take the offer it made me crazy. I expected you to hate Eric just because I did, and I expected you to turn the offer down for the same reasons as me. I should have known better than to try to control you. I don't know Tris, I wasn't blind, I knew that you weren't happy with me and your only real source of happiness was the job, and apparently Eric. Once our relationship actually ended, and I had a chance to think about things a little I realized that I was jealous of what you accomplished, and that jealousy made me bitter. I had no real reason to turn the job down anymore."

I nod but before I get a chance to say anything, we're joined by Johanna Reyes, the unoffical leader of Amity.

"Tris, Four, lovely to see you both." Johanna says, hugging each of us. "Four, congratulations on your leadership appointment. Oh, and I hear congratulations for your marriage is in order too. You two always have made such a lovely couple."

Four and I look at each other, confused by Johanna's comments.

"Oh, well thank you Johanna. Um, Tris and I aren't married though." Four replies.

"You're not? Max mentioned that you had gotten married to a fellow leader Tris, so I just assumed. My apologies. That Max is such a jokester." Johanna smiles.

Just as I'm about to reply, we see grey clad figures making their way towards us. Marcus and my father. "Hello son, hello Beatrice." Marcus says. Beside me, Four grabs my hand and squeezes hard.

"Hello Marcus, it's nice to see you, and it's just Tris now. Hi Dad." I smile at my father and he returns the smile proudly.

"Congratulations on becoming a leader, Tobias. I'm surprised it took you so long to accept." Marcus says with fake enthusiasm. "I suppose being closer to your wife certainly has its benefits. I can't believe I had to find out about my own son's marriage from someone other than you."

Four is squeezing my hand so hard I'm afraid it might break. I try to remove my hand from his, but he squeezes harder. I look over at him and he looks panicked, although no one else would realize it.

"I was also quite surprised to hear of your marriage to a fellow leader Tris. Although I'm not surprised it's Tobias" My father replies, warily looking at Four.

Max and Eric join our group again, Eric's eyes immediately focus on the clasped hands of Four and me. I try to make eye contact with him but he's just staring at our hands. Four is oblivious to our discomfort and continues to grip my hand for dear life.

"Good morning Johanna." Max kisses her on her cheek. "Good morning Marcus and Andrew." He nods to both.

"Johanna, lovely to see you." Eric gives her a hug. "Andrew, Marcus a pleasure." He nods.

"Good to see you Max and Eric. We were just catching up with my son and his wife." Marcus replies.

"His _what_?" Eric asks. The quick icy look he shoots me sends a chill completely though me. Four still won't release his death grip on my hand.

"Ok, let me explain. There was some confusion. Four and I aren't married." I say, finally removing my hand from his.

"Max, you are such a jokester." Johanna laughs. "You told us Tris had married a fellow leader."

"I am..." I'm cut off by an announcement.

"Good morning everyone. Please join us in the main conference room. Thank you." Jack Kang bellowed over the crowd.

I groan in frustration. Our group disperses and starts walking towards the conference room. I catch up with Eric, but he still refuses to look at me.

"I'll explain later." I say more for Eric's benefit than anyone else's. The tension coming off of Eric could be cut with a knife, and he walks away from me wordlessly. Four sticks close to my side, but thankfully doesn't touch me. Once we're at the table, Four quickly sits down between Max and me, leaving Eric on my other side.

"It isn't what it looked like." I whisper to Eric.

"Really? It looked like my wife was holding her ex's hand while receiving congratulations on their marriage. Was it that hard to just tell them you're married to me? Are you hiding me from your father?" He whispers back.

"I can explain." He shakes his head and angles his body away from mine.

Before we can speak again Jack calls the meeting to order. I try to grab Eric's hand under the table, but he moves it away. Shit. This is bad. He thinks I'm ashamed of him.

"There are some new leaders that I'd like to take the time to introduce and recognize. Our newest leaders in training are: Serenity Jennings, Amity, Melissa Bowen, Candor, Alec Drewery, Candor, Celeste Fortner, Abnegation, Four Eaton, Dauntless. Our newest leaders are: Caleb Prior, Erudite, Meadow Parker, Amity and Tris Prior, Dauntless. Please join us in welcoming them." Jack says.

"Excuse me for the interruption, I just wanted to say it's Tris Coulter now. Eric and I were married a little over a week ago." I say, smiling. I glance over at my husband and see him slowly break into a smile, the tension between us melting away. He grabs my hand under the table and I take a deep breath of relief. I can see the look of shock on my father, brother, Marcus and Johanna's faces.

Johanna is first to break the silence. "Congratulations and blessings to you both. That is wonderful news, I am so happy for you." She beams. Soon, the rest of the leaders are offering their congratulations as well. My brother and father do not look pleased, I'm sure there will be a conversation during lunch about my announcement.

The meeting starts and soon the pleasantries of this morning have vanished. Johanna and Max are arguing about fence guarding and soon Eric and I have joined in. Marcus joins in to compare the fence policing to the factionless policing and it turns into an argument between Dauntless and Abnegation, with Johanna and the rest of Amity making peace with the changes to fence policing and protocol.

"Policing the factionless should be treated with the same weight as policing the factions." I speak up. "There's a larger factionless population than some singular factions."

"Beatrice, it's a waste of valuable resources. I'm sure Dauntless has better things to do than guard a group who has no means of being violent." Marcus replies condescendingly. He speaks to me as if he were speaking to a small child and it infuriates me. Before I can answer, Four surprisingly speaks up.

"Tris is absolutely right, and you are severely underestimating the means and will of the factionless. They are not a bunch of small groups milling around gathering handouts. They are united, they use their resources and they are extremely cunning. You forget these are people who have received training from multiple factions, and who sometimes are factionless by choice. You can't pretend like they don't matter, because as soon as you let your guard down they will be ready." Everyone is quiet, shocked at Four's speech.

"Tobias, you seem to have some sort of inside knowledge of how these people operate, or you are making a huge assumption." Marcus sneers. "Perhaps you shouldn't speak out of turn. Same for you Beatrice, we have much more pressing issues to discuss, pay attention."

"That's enough." Eric booms. "Four is a leader in training, and on a fast track of becoming a full leader. My wife is also a full leader, and you will treat _both_ of them with the respect they deserve. Four and Tris both have brought up excellent points, and you need to stop making this personal." He glares at Marcus.

"Eric, my apologies. Beatrice, Tobias I didn't mean to insult you." Marcus replies.

"My name is Four, her name is Tris, it'd do you well to remember that." Four replies forcefully.

"I believe that both Four and Tris have valid concerns regarding the factionless. I think we are severely underestimating their strength, and as long as Dauntless has the resources to provide guards in the factionless areas without sacrificing guards in the factions, I'd be happy to support it." My father says.

"We have the resources, and there will be a new initiate class very soon as choosing day is less than 2 weeks away. We usually have a high number of guard positions with each class." Max replies.

"I believe we should have a vote. All in favor of policing the factionless." Jack says, while mostly everyone raises their hands, except Marcus and another Abnegation leader. "Motion carried, thank you for bringing this issue to our attention Tris and Four. Now, on to the next item of business."

The next issue is strictly between Erudite and Candor, so we relax a bit.

"Good work back there, both of you." Eric whispers so that Four and I can hear.

"Thanks." Four replies. "And thanks for backing us up."

Eric nods and we continue listening to the arguments until Jack adjourns for lunch. We are filing out of the conference room when I'm stopped by my father. Eric steps beside me, taking my hand, while I motion for Four to stay close.

"Beatrice, care to explain to me how the two of you are married when just last month you were living with him." My father motions over to where Four is standing nearby. Caleb soon joins our group.

"Yes Beatrice, do enlighten us. Wait, are you pregnant?" Caleb replies.

"No! Really Caleb, you think the only reason I'd marry Eric is if I were pregnant? Wow." I reply, exasperated.

"Sorry Bea, this is just sudden, and like dad said you were living with someone else just last month. This seems very impetous, what exactly were you thinking?"

I sigh. Before I can speak, Four steps up. "Mr. Prior, Caleb, Tris and I are friends. We tried to be more, and for awhile it worked, but both of us fell in love with other people. Please don't be angry with Tris, I pushed her away without an explanation and I wasn't man enough to talk with her before starting an affair outside of our relationship. Tris was always faithful to me, even when she no longer loved me. Please understand that I care deeply for Tris, and cherish our friendship, and wish her and her husband the best." He nods and steps away from the group. I reach out for him.

"Thank you." I whisper. "Go find Johanna. Stick with her, we'll be in shortly." I squeeze his hand before he walks away.

"Dad, Caleb, I know you have met Eric before as a leader of Dauntless, but now I'd like you to get to know my husband Eric."

"Mr. Prior, it's a pleasure to meet you." Eric nods to my father. "Caleb, a pleasure." Eric offers his hand and Caleb shakes it. "I would have liked to have asked for both of your blessings to marry Tris, but we opted to marry quickly and this is the first opportunity to speak with you both."

"Eric, while you and I may have different leading styles, I respect what you've done for Dauntless and your hard work in apprehending Jeanine. You are a fine young man, and as long as you love my daughter and treat her with all of the respect she deserves you have my blessing and support." He offers his hand to Eric, which surprises me as it's completely against Abnegation teachings. Eric gratefully accepts it.

"Mr. Prior, you have my word." He replies.

"Please, call me Andrew." He smiles.

"I mostly agree with my father." Caleb begins, "And while I admire your work in stopping Jeanine, I am concerned with your arrogance and temper. Neither are qualities I'd want to see in my sisters husband. Treat her right, that's all I ask." Caleb offers his hand and Eric accepts.

"I love Tris, I have for a long time and I waited for her. I have no intentions of ever hurting her."

My father and Caleb head to the cafeteria leaving Eric and I alone for the first time all day.

"I owe you an explanation about what you saw earlier." He nods. "Do you remember what Erudite accused Marcus Eaton of?"

"Yes, abusing his wife and son." Eric's eyes widen "It was true?"

"Yes, all of it. Four has terrible scars all over his back, which he covered with his tattoo. He also took me into his fear landscape during initiation to practice for stage 2, and Marcus was in it. One of the main reasons he refused leadership was because he never wanted to see Marcus again. Our holding hands was for comfort only. He was panicked when Marcus approached us, although you'd have to know him well to see it. I was there for a friend, and that was all. Apparently earlier Max told some of the other leaders that I had married a fellow leader, but he never said your name and so they all assumed it was Four."

He leans down and kisses me softly. "You are a better woman than I deserve. I love you."

"I love you Eric, only you. I'm sorry that you had to worry. Four is my friend, and I know asking you to support a friendship between him and me is selfish, but he is important to me."

"I'm sorry for acting impulsively and forgetting how much I trust you. Four matters to you Tris, and you matter to me. I will support your friendship as long as he respects you and our marriage. I'm not sure if he and I will ever truly be friends, but I don't hate him either. He and I are definitely a work in progress."

"Thank you." I kiss his cheek.

"Ready to join everyone?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." We walk to the cafeteria hand in hand. We both grab chicken, vegetables and potatoes and head to find a table. We see Johanna sitting with an uncomfortable Four, across from them sit Marcus, Caleb and my father. We head their way and I take a seat next to Four, Eric on my other side. I nudge Four to get his attention.

"Everything ok?" I whisper to him. He nods.

"Everything ok with you?" He whispers back and I nod.

"So, Eric, how is it that you and Beatrice are married?" Marcus asks.

" _Tris_ and I are married for the same reasons most couples marry, we love each other and want to spend our lives together. It's a rather simple concept." He replies.

"Tobias, how do you feel about this? It seems you managed to drive her into another man's arms?"

"What happened between _Four_ and me is none of your concern. We are all adults here, I'm 19 years old Marcus, and Eric and Four are both 21. We can make our own decisions. Four and I are friends, and I will _always_ have his best interests in heart. As a matter of fact, he and I are very close friends, and we've spent a lot of time talking about our childhood in Abnegation. It's amazing that he and I grew up two houses away from each other but never got a chance to meet. Especially with all of the times you joined our family for dinner." Tobias has grabbed my hand under the table and is clutching hard. Johanna, my father and Caleb are listening closely to our conversation. "It was almost like you didn't have a son, or didn't want him to be seen. It couldn't have been that though, right Marcus?" I ask sweetly. Marcus pales.

"Congratulations on your marriage, Tris and Eric. I wish you both well. Please excuse me, I need to speak with Allen." Marcus leaves the table quickly.

"Thank you." Four whispers to me. I drop his hand and hug him.

"You're welcome. You've done well today. It'll only get better from here." I whisper back. We glance around the table and there seems to be realization in everyone's faces.

"That report was true." Caleb says, making a statement and not asking.

Everyone stops eating and looks at Four. At first, he does nothing except look down at his plate, then he sighs and nods once. I slip my arm around him and he returns the gesture. Johanna kisses his cheek and my father and brother nod. Eric clasps Four's shoulder briefly and we all return to our meals. My father breaks the silence.

"Four, it's not too late to do something about it." He says.

Four is silent for awhile. "Can I think about it?"

My father nods, "Whenever you're ready."

We continue our meal, Johanna telling us stories about Amity. I excuse myself to go to the ladies room and as soon as I leave the cafeteria I'm cornered by Marcus.

"Beatrice, you should be very careful with the way you speak to me in a public setting." He sneers. "People may start to get the wrong idea."

"Marcus, you shouldn't give anyone a reason to have the wrong idea about you, now should you? I mean, those reports from Erudite couldn't possibly be true, could they?"

"Beatrice, you should choose your words wisely, and stop believing every bit of gossip you read. It's interesting that you seem to care so much for my son while you're married to another man. I wonder what your husband would think."

"My name is Tris, Marcus, and I don't make a habit of believing gossip. You're a smart man, I'm sure if you were guilty of what those reports insinuate you'd do everything you could to disprove them, wouldn't you? Oh and my husband is well aware of how much I care for Four, so your worries regarding the state of my marriage are unfounded."

"I don't know what lies Tobias has told you, but you obviously don't know my son as well as you think."

"He's told me the truth, and he's showed me the proof. You should walk away now Marcus."

He reaches out and grabs my arm, digging his fingers into the flesh. He yanks me close to him and when he speaks I can feel his hot breath on my face. He grabs my face with his free hand, squeezing both sides of my jaws with force.

"You little tramp. You need to keep your damn mouth shut. If you even breathe a word of these lies to anyone, I will end you."

"What's going on here?" Caleb yells. Marcus immediately removes his hand from my face and pushes me away roughly.

"Nothing that concerns you boy. Just having a conversation. Don't forget what I said, Beatrice." He replies before stalking off.

"Bea, are you alright? What happened?" Caleb asks, pulling me close and inspecting me. "He hurt you, look at your face and arm. We need to report this."

"Caleb, I'm fine, let me go, people are starting to stare." I reply, noticing people filing out of the cafeteria.

"This is not fine at all. We need to speak to someone about this. Marcus is obviously dangerous." He replies.

"Caleb, please. I need to talk to Eric and Four before this goes any further. Just give me some time. We should start heading back to the meeting."

Caleb sighs, frustrated. "Fine, but I'm not letting you out of my sight. Let's go." He holds his arm out to me and I link my arm with his. I quickly find my seat right before Jack starts speaking again.

The rest of the meeting is a blur of arguments, I've deduced that some leaders just argue for the sake of hearing themselves speak. I'm extremely grateful when the meeting is adjourned and we are dismissed until next week. Caleb quickly finds me.

"You need to tell them now." He says.

"Tell who what exactly?" Eric asks.

"Look at her face." Caleb says. Eric puts his hand below my chin and tilts my face towards him. His eyes widen.

"Who did this?" He asks me.

"It's nothing. I bruise easily." I reply.

"Beatrice!" Caleb exclaims. "Tell him."

"Go get Four." I tell Caleb and he quickly pulls him over to us.

"What's going on?" Four asks.

"Marcus confronted me in the hall after lunch. He wasn't pleased with what I said to him at the lunch table."

"He put his hands on you?" Eric asks, anger evident in his voice.

"He was a little rough in getting his point across. I'm fine."

Caleb yanks the sleeve of my jacket up and shows them my arm. There are purpling finger shaped bruises. Four is livid, hands balled in fists and face red.

"I'm going to kill him." He fumes.

"Get in line." Eric replies.

"Wait, both of you!" I exclaim. "We have to do this the right way. If you two go kick his ass how's that better than what he's done to you, Four? I'm fine. Four, if you want to go after him for his abuse then we'll bring this up, if not we won't. I don't need a target on any of our backs."

"He hurt you Tris. This needs to be reported." Eric says.

"Only if and when he's ready." I gesture towards Four. "There's no way for me to report this without bringing up his past. It's not my place to reveal his secrets. He needs time to think. Let's give that to him."

"Four, I'm going to back off a bit because she has a point. But this is my wife, and if that piece of shit comes near her again I won't hesitate to do whatever it takes to protect her." Eric replies.

"I won't either." Four replies.

"This day has been exhausting, can we please just go home?" I ask.

"Bea, just be careful please." Caleb says. He looks around then gives me a quick hug. "I love you." He whispers.

"I love you too." I reply with tears in my eyes. He smiles and says "I'll be at the next meeting, maybe I'll see you?"

I can feel the burn of unshed tears in my eyes. I can't even speak right now, or I'm afraid I'll fall apart.

"I'm sure that can be arranged." Eric replies, grabbing my hand and entwining our fingers. I nod, and watch my brother walk away.

"Let's go home." Four says, shooting me a sympathetic look. We head out to where Max is waiting and wait for the train. Once we've jumped inside, Four glances my way then makes his way over to Max to give Eric and I some privacy. Eric pulls me into a hug.

"Let it out. No ones looking. It's ok." He rubs my back while I finally let the tears fall freely onto his jacket.

"I miss my brother so much. We were so close growing up, he was my best friend. I hate faction before blood."

"Me too, Tris, me too." He wraps me up tight and I cry softly into his chest.

"I feel so weak. I don't want to do this every meeting."

"You're not weak at all. You love them, and they obviously love you. It's ok to love your family. It's ok to miss them. We're human, Tris. Abnegation was different, family values were more ingrained there. Transferring from Abnegation or Amity to Dauntless is extremely rare for that reason. Four's reason was to leave his family behind, while yours was to protect them at all costs. You're always going to have that with you." He kisses my forehead, then touches his forehead to mine. We stay like this for the rest of the train ride back while I silently wonder if there will ever be a way to be with my family again.


	8. Best Friends Part 1

Chapter 8: Best Friends, Part 1

Eric POV

"Ok, that was good, but Jesus Christ I may never get up." I'm lying on my back on the mat, trying to catch my breath after taking a wicked kick in my chest.

"Sorry man." Four replies, bent over with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. Today's the last day of physical training, and all week we've been kicking the shit out of each other. It's almost therapeutic. Four and I may have called a truce, but I know we're both enjoying the free reign on roughing each other up.

"Ok Eric, you're done. Come on Four, give me your best. This is the last day you can kick my ass on a regular basis." Tris says, squaring up.

Four shakes his head. "This isn't fair, your husband has been kicking mine since lunch and you get to finish the job."

"Something like that. Come on, one pin and we're done for the day." Tris replies.

I watch as the two of them circle each other. Even though Four easily has 80 pounds on her, she's a ruthless opponent. She quickly lands a hard punch in his stomach.

"Dammit Tris!" He yells.

"You're still leaving your torso vulnerable. I'm going to keep punching you there until you learn." She walks over to him and moves his arms again.

Four throws a punch which Tris easily blocks, he tries a kick and she blocks it again. "Dammit woman, you're fast." He says. She chuckles.

"Quit playing around!" I yell with a smile on my face.

Tris steps off of the mat and pulls off her tshirt, leaving her in a sports bra and her short training shorts. I know she's only doing this because she's overheating, but I can't help the twinge of jealousy I'm feeling. Four is looking at the floor and doesn't see her step back onto the mat. She quickly sweeps his legs out from under him and straddles him.

"You should always pay attention to your opponent." She says. He quickly maneuvers so he's on top of her.

"As should you." He laughs. He tries to pin her but she quickly head butts him and he staggers back off of her.

"Jesus Tris, that didn't hurt you at all?" He asks, rubbing his forehead.

"You forget that I usually spar with him." She gestured to me. "We fight dirty."

"That's a true statement. She's gotten my microdermals more times than I can count." I gesture to the two piercings above my eyebrow.

"I'm done Tris. Come on. I'm beat." Four says.

"There's no conceding, do you want me to hang you over the chasm?" Tris replies.

"Really, Tris?" I ask, she grins at me.

"Again. Neither of us got a successful pin." She says to Four, they square again.

Tris throws a punch towards his face, he moves out of the way and lands a quick uppercut to her exposed jaw. Tris falls to the mat limply.

"Fuck! Eric, get the ammonia sticks. She's out. I didn't mean to." He yells.

I run and grab a couple sticks, we wave them under her nose and she starts to stir. "I know you didn't, calm down man. She's coming out of it."

"I was out?" She asks groggily.

"Yeah, I'm sorry Tris." Four replies.

"You didn't pin me though." She replies.

"Tris, the last time I checked a KO trumps a pin. Accept defeat woman." Four replies with a smirk.

"Fine, you did good. We're done for the day." She tries to sit up but wobbles a bit so she lays back down. I sit next to her and put her head on my lap.

"You don't say." I smile down at her and she flips her middle finger up at me.

"I'm gonna grab her an ice pack." Four says.

"You ok, babe?" I ask while checking her jaw. I can see a bruise already forming. "You're gonna have a bruise, but nothing appears to be out of place."

"Yeah. I'm fine. He's gotten much better this week."

"He really has. He rang my bell a couple of times already today." I reply.

Four comes back with an ice pack and towel, he wraps the pack and hands it to me. I place it gingerly on Tris's jaw.

"You've done really well this week Four, Max is going to be pleased with your progress. I've got her if you want to get out of here."

"Nah, I'm ok. Gonna sit for a few and catch my breath if that's ok with you two." He replies.

"As long as you're not here to gloat about knocking me out." Tris says.

"I won't gloat till you're back on your feet at least." He replies.

"Such a gentleman." She replies, giving him a dirty look.

"So faction history next week, huh?" Four asks.

"Yeah, also known as the boring shit." I reply.

"We'll be doing that along with your computer training. I figured we could do both since you pretty much don't need computer training." Tris says. "Max is pushing to get you fully trained as quickly as possible. He's already looking at candidates for the fifth leadership position."

"Does he have anyone in mind?" Four asks me.

"He's mentioned Tori, Zeke and Will actually." I reply.

"I think any of them would be great. Is he leaning more towards one?" Tris asks.

"If I was a betting man, I'd say Will. He really is impressed with Zeke, but with Four leaving the control room he feels that the only one who he can trust to properly supervise there is Zeke. Tori he likes because she knows pretty much everyone in the faction from working at the tattoo shop, and she's great with people but she's not interested in the position thus far. Will is really well rounded. Smart, sharp, gets along with mostly everyone and he's pretty low key. I think Max's exact words were he'd balance things out with Four and me being such hotheads." I reply.

"Too much testosterone." Tris sighs, rolling her eyes.

"Says the woman who has all of leadership wrapped around her little finger." Four replies.

"He has a point there." I smirk at her, earning another eye roll from Tris.

"You guys are going to Chris and Will's party tonight right?" Four asks.

"Shit, I had forgotten it got pushed to tonight. I'm sure there's no way this one is going to allow me to skip it." I reply gesturing to Tris. She grins up at me.

"You're right. We're going. How about you guys?" She asks Four.

"I don't know." He replies.

"Oh is Abby working tonight or something?" I ask. I've noticed she doesn't seem to like Four doing things without her.

"I broke up with her."

"Really? What happened?" Tris asks, sitting up.

He sighs. "An ultimatum happened. Her or my friends. I chose my friends."

"Wow. That was really unfair of her. I'm sorry Four." She says.

"It was bound to happen. She didn't trust me at all, for good reason, and she hated that I was friends with you."

"For good reason? Tell me you didn't cheat." Tris replies.

"No! I didn't. But, she can't get over the fact that I cheated on you with her. It's so hypocritical, but she doesn't see it that way at all. I just need to find someone who doesn't have the whole fucking history of Four and Tris committed to memory."

"There is a new initiate class coming next week." I reply.

"You make me sound like some dirty old man who preys on kids" He laughs.

"They're 18, you're 21, where's the issue? Besides they're only one year younger than Tris. Am I a dirty old man?" I laugh.

"Yes, indeed you are." Tris replies with a wink.

"I'm right here you two." Four replies with fake annoyance. We all laugh.

"Come to the party, these are your friends too. Just let loose and have fun. Besides, you might meet someone there." Tris says.

"She's right. Don't let the shit with Abby get you down." I reply.

"This is the weirdest friendship ever. How the fuck did we get here?" He asks, chuckling and shaking his head.

"No clue." I laugh.

"Ok, I'm going to go shower and get ready. For the first time since being in Dauntless, I'm going to be allowed to dress myself for a party since Chris is occupied with her new husband. I'm taking full advantage of it." Tris says, jumping up off the mat. She sticks a hand out to Four and pulls him up.

"Go, shower, dress nicely and smell good. We'll find you a woman." He rolls his eyes at her but heads to the locker room. She sticks her hand out to me and I take it and pull her down.

"Hello gorgeous." I say.

"That wasn't very nice." She pouts. I kiss her forehead.

"When have I been known to be nice?" I ask. I lay back on the mat and pull Tris on top of me, flush with my chest. I wrap my arms around her and rub her back.

"This is extremely nice. I take it back." She relaxes against me.

"I really like this. It's been a rough week. It feels good to just hold you." I reply.

The next thing I know I'm feeling a boot nudging my shoulder. I blink my eyes open and see Four standing above me. He's got a finger held up to his lips telling me to be quiet. He points at Tris and I can tell she is fast asleep laying on top of me.

"Of all the things I expect to walk in on you two doing in that position, sleeping never crossed my mind." He whispers with a smirk. "Want to wake her?"

"No, she's exhausted. Can you just set the alarm on my phone and leave it here next to me? Give us an hour before the party starts please." I whisper back and he nods. He brings my phone back, and tosses me a clean rolled up towel.

"Use it as a pillow. See you tonight" he whispers before leaving the room. I wrap my arms around Tris and drift off to sleep.

We're woken by the blaring of my phone alarm. "Make it stop." She whines. I grab the phone and silence the alarm.

"What time is it?" She asks.

"It's 7:00. I had Four set the alarm. Feeling better?"

"Much. I didn't realize how tired I was." She rolls off of me onto her back and stretches. "Sorry if I was crushing you."

"I rather enjoyed it. You make an excellent blanket." I reply.

She starts playing with my hair. "I love it when you don't have gel in your hair. It's so curly."

"Which is precisely why I gel it back. That feels great though, keep doing it." I move so I am laying my head on her stomach.

"I really wish Max had of let me go to the leadership meeting this week. I don't know when Caleb is going to be there again." Tris says, quietly.

I knew this was bothering her, but she's refused to talk about it all week. Although I protested, Max insisted on he and I attending this weeks leadership meeting together, claiming Tris and Four needed to continue with training. Thankfully, Uriah was true to his word and stepped in for me to spar with Four in my absence.

"Max has a hard time delegating, especially with these leadership meetings. He's going to have at least two of us at each meeting, and his plan is to have either he or I attend with you or Four to keep a senior leader with a junior leader. I talked with Caleb and Erudite is planning on doing the same. He's going to try to keep attending until he catches you there, ok?"

"Was my father there?" She asks.

"No, it was Marcus and Josiah this week. I don't know when Andrew will be back." I answer. "I wish I could talk to Max about my concerns with Marcus. Has Four mentioned anything more about him?"

"No. If anything, he's been more closed off about it than usual. Uri saw the bruises on my arm earlier this week, of course being Uri he cracked jokes about Four roughing me up and it caused him to react harshly. Uri dropped it and we continued training, but I know him well enough to see he's been a little off this week." Tris replies.

"I'm sure Four thinks my only concern regarding Marcus has to do with you, but I really want the bastard to pay for what he did to Four. No one deserves that kind of treatment. My father may be a bastard in his own way, but he never abused any of us."

Tris continues to gently run her fingers through my hair. "We've been so busy this week, it feels nice to just be here with you." She says.

"It does. Is it wrong that I just want to go back to hiding in our apartment?"

"If it is, then I'm wrong too. It'll be nice to see all of our friends though. I feel bad for Four, I can't help but feel like I should back off from our friendship." She says.

"Why would you think that? If I can handle you two being friends based on the history we all have, she should have no problems with it." I reply.

"I guess it's different. We're married, and we never acted on our feelings until I was done with him. He was seeing her behind my back for 6 months, and I had to break up with him. Oh wow, I can see her point now that I'm thinking out loud. It'd be hard to trust him."

"As much as I wanted you, I'm glad we didn't act on it while you were with him. I think I'd have the same trust issues she has." I reply.

I hear a loud gurgle from her stomach. "Sounds like you need dinner. Let's grab a quick bite upstairs and get ready for this party."

I stand up and help Tris stand as well. We leave the training room and head to our apartment. "I'm going to make us some sandwiches. Go shower babe." She heads off to the shower while I make us a quick dinner of grilled cheese and tomato soup. Just as I'm ladling soup into bowls, Tris joins me in the kitchen wearing her robe and a towel on her head.

"Nice look, Chris will love it." I smirk.

"It's definitely comfortable. Don't tempt me." She laughs.

We quickly finish our dinner and I head for the shower while Tris gets ready. Once I'm out of the shower and dried off, I head into the bedroom and I'm stopped in my tracks by Tris. She's wearing short black shorts that show off her long legs with a tight red tank top that shows off her tattoos topped with a black distressed looking sweater. She's wearing her combat boots, light makeup and dark red lipstick the exact color of her tank top. She's got a bunch of bracelets on one wrist, and she's bent over scrunching her hair into waves as she blow dries it. She flips her hair and turns the dryer off. She catches me staring. My wife is fucking hot.

"See something you like?" She asks with a sexy smirk.

"Yes, you look so fucking hot." I answer honestly. "I absolutely cannot touch you right now or we'll never leave this apartment. I'm going to get dressed." As I walk by her, she reaches out and trails her fingers across my bare chest. I grab her and kiss her thoroughly before she walks out of the bedroom.

I get some boxer briefs, black jeans, a grey tshirt and my black soft hoodie that Tris almost always ends up stealing from me every time I wear it. I get dressed quickly, adding socks and my black converse. Some deodorant, a spray of the cologne Tris likes and I decide at the last minute to forego using gel in my hair. Tris likes the curls, and it's just a party. I walk out to the living room.

"You're not doing your hair?" She asks me with a smile.

"No, just for you." I grin at her and she immediately runs her fingers through my hair.

"I love it. Let's go." She replies.

We head out to Zeke and Shauna's apartment, hand in hand.

When we arrive the party is in full swing, but surprisingly it's a smaller group than what I expected. Marlene spots us and heads over.

"Hey newlyweds."

"Hey Mar, where is everyone?" Tris asks.

"Karaoke in the pit tonight, lost quite a few to it. Chris is happy though, she actually wanted it to be closer friends instead of a mob of people. I guess people are still giving her shit about getting married so suddenly." She rolls her eyes.

"They've been together since initiation, and yet it's sudden? Unreal." I reply.

"Exactly! Come on in, grab a drink. I'm pretty sure Uri is going to start drinking games soon." Marlene replies.

"I am entirely too underdressed for Uriah's games." Tris groans.

"It's Will and Chris's choice, so maybe appeal to their sympathetic side" Marlene laughs.

We head to the kitchen and grab a couple of beers, then make our way over to Will and Chris.

"Hey other newlyweds!" Uriah yells.

"Hey Uri." Tris replies with a grin. She walks over to Chris and Will and gives them a huge hug.

"Congrats again you two. I still can't believe my best friend is married!" Tris says.

"My best friend is married too!" Chris squeals.

"Where are Zeke and Shauna?" I ask.

Will laughs loudly. "They went to the bathroom." He says this using air quotes.

"Well, it's their house, they can fuck in their bathroom if they want." Chris replies with a laugh.

"Where's Four?" I ask. Uriah looks at me like I've grown 3 heads.

"Since when do you care where Four is?" He asks.

"Since right now I guess. Is it really that big of a deal?" I reply.

"They've gotten to kick the crap out of each other all week in physical training. It's like couples therapy for them." Tris replies with a laugh. "I think they might actually be friends."

"I don't hate him as much this week." I reply with a shrug.

"You don't hate who as much?" Four asks, sauntering over with a beer.

"I think he was talking about you. Is there a bromance brewing?" Uri asks.

"No." We both answer at the same time, which causes us all to laugh.

"Where's Zeke?" Four asks.

"Jesus, this again. They're in their bathroom fucking." Chris replies.

"Wow. Well ok then." Four replies.

"I'm clearing these stragglers out. Chris and Will, you choose the game." Uriah says while ushering people out the door. Zeke and Shauna finally make an appearance.

"Nice of you to join us." Marlene says in a sarcastic tone of voice.

"You know, beings this is your apartment and all, you could have just fucked in your bedroom." Chris grins at Shauna.

"We weren't having sex." Shauna groans.

"We were totally having sex." Zeke replies with a big smile.

"Zeke!" Shauna yells while smacking his head.

"So what's the game newlyweds?" Uri asks. I look around the room and see that we're left with Zeke, Shauna, Uri, Marlene, Chris, Will, Four, Peter, Al and Lynn. Peter's not my favorite person because of how shitty he treated Tris in their initiation, and how he continues to antagonize her, but she never seems to hold grudges and they can at least coexist.

"Never have I ever." Will replies. "I'll start. Never have I ever had sex in my bathroom while I was hosting a party." We all laugh and Zeke and Shauna both take a drink.

"Never have I ever had sex in a storage closet off the Pit." Shauna says with a smirk. Will, Chris, Tris and I all take drinks. Peter's eyes are huge.

"Not at the same time, idiot." I mutter. He shakes his head.

"Never have I ever gotten drunk and then got married in Max's office." Four says. Damn, more of the 4 of us drinking.

"Never have I ever passed out from drinking." Al says, Zeke, Uri, Marlene, Peter and me all take drinks.

"Never have I ever had sex with a leader." Peter says, glaring at Tris. Tris, Four and I all drink.

"Never have I ever tried to push another initiate into the chasm." Tris glares back at Peter and he begrudgingly takes a drink.

"Never have I ever had sex with more than one person in this room." Lynn pipes up, not meaning any malice but Tris is the only one who drinks. Peter snickers.

"Never have I ever walked in on someone having sex." Chris says. Tris drinks again.

"Really guys?" Tris asks, annoyed.

"Never have I ever dated a fellow initiate." I say, knowing that will get some other people drinking. Chris, Will, Uri, Marlene, Al and Lynn all drink.

Chris looks at Al. "Who?"

"Um, who's the other initiate who drank besides the obvious?" Al answers and Lynn blushes a deep red.

"Lynn! Oh my goodness!" Shauna yells. Four is cracking up.

"Never have I ever had sex in the shower." Lynn says, looking at Four. Everyone drinks except Peter.

"Wow, this is a freaky group of people." Peter laughs.

"Never have I ever banged an instructor." Peter smirks. Tris sighs loudly and drinks.

"Peter, I know what you're trying to do here, let's just establish that I've had sex with both Four and Eric. Neither of which had any impact on my initiation or leadership status. Drop the shit." Tris growls at Peter.

"Anyway, never have I ever had sex in public." Marlene says. Chris, Will, Tris, Four and I all drink.

"Really Four? You are the most Abnegation person here. Spill!" Zeke says.

"Fine. In the infirmary with Abby." He says.

"Ewwwwww I work there!" Marlene says. Zeke and Uri laugh.

"What is it with these Abnegation kids gone wild? Tris I saw you drink, your turn to spill." Shauna says.

"Um, which time?" Tris asks with a smirk.

"There's more than one?" Chris squeals.

"Yes. We'll go with the first place. The net." She replies and Uriah whistles and yells.

"With who?" Will asks.

"With me." I laugh while the rest of the room makes catcall noises. Tris just shakes her head and laughs.

"Never have I ever gotten married to someone without dating them." Al says. Tris and I both drink. I forgot the big idiot had harbored a huge crush on Tris.

"Never have I ever married someone without having sex with them first." Four says. He's digging for information and I'm actually impressed. Tris and I both proudly drink. Four takes notice, but says nothing.

"You guys never dated, or had sex but got married?" Lynn asks.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" I ask.

"Because you're Eric. You kind of have a reputation." Peter replies.

"What reputation?" I ask.

"Well the girls who come into the tattoo shop pretty much think you're this man whore, but in the same breath they get pissed because you don't give them the time of day." Lynn replies with an eye roll.

"That's redundant. A man whore who refuses advances." I laugh.

"They also think this marriage is a sham because you wanted to deflower the innocent little Abnegation girl." Lynn says.

"She is definitely not an innocent little Abnegation girl. I've covered plenty of love bites for her." Chris says with a laugh. "And she had already been deflowered by Four."

"I'm right here you guys." Tris says, annoyed. "Can we not talk about deflowering me anymore?"

"So, let me get this straight. You got the Stiff drunk and married her just to get in her pants?" Peter asks with a laugh.

"Peter shut the fuck up. If that were the case, would they be sitting here married right now? You're such an idiot." Lynn replies with anger.

"Hayes, I'm gonna say this one time and one time only. This is your only warning. If you ever say anything remotely like that about my wife or my marriage again I will throw you into the chasm" I growl. Tris has moved so she's sitting on my lap.

"I just can't believe you married her right from under Four. What gives? I mean literally she was living in his house, she might have very well fucked him that morning and you that night." Peter says with a smirk. "That must be some good stuff. How'd you give it up, Four?"

I don't have a chance to react because Four punches him straight in the face and we hear the crack of Peter's nose.

"Time for you to fucking go Peter." Four growls. Peter gets off the floor holding the bottom of his shirt to his bleeding nose and Four roughly pushes him out the door.

"Tris, I'm so sorry that we invited him, that was uncalled for." Zeke says.

"He only said what lots of people are probably thinking. You know, I am the whore who married the leader after she was done fucking her way through initiation with her instructor. If I'm lucky, I'll fuck my way right into Max's job, right?" Tris replies. She gets off my lap and walks to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door before I could go in with her. I knock on the door and she yells for me to go away.

"Tris, please let me in." I ask. "Don't listen to that asshole."

"Please just leave me alone." I can hear her crying. Four and Chris both come to the door.

"Tris, it's me, can I come in?" Chris asks.

"No, leave me alone." Tris cries.

Four decides to try. "Hey, talk to me Tris. Don't let him get to you. He's a jealous coward. He's wanted everything you achieved since the day you jumped first. Tris, you're my best friend, if anyone would be upset with you about how you and Eric got together it would be me and I'm not. You're happier than you've been since I've known you. Hell, you've made the jerk tolerable. He and I are even friends now, something we couldn't accomplish before you came into our lives. People are going to talk about us, but the people who's opinions we care about all know the truth. You were a great girlfriend, we just weren't right for each other and you and I both know that. Who cares what Peter or anyone else fucking thinks? Eric is married to you because he loves you, you know that."

We hear the door unlock and it slowly opens. Tris is crying hard, her makeup running down her cheeks. "You really mean that?" She asks Four.

"Ofcourse I do. All of it." He replies. She reaches out for him and hugs him hard.

"Thank you." She says while crying into his shirt. He looks at me and I nod at him. In this moment, I can't be jealous or upset. She needed to hear that from him.


	9. Best Friends Part 2

**Because I love you all so, I'm going to go ahead and post part 2 of the previous chapter. Please note this is the second chapter I've posted today, so if you haven't read chapter 8 yet please take a few minutes to check it out. Also, thank you all for the great reviews and follows. It seriously makes my day to see them. I'm working on another story that I hope to start publishing soon too, Eris ofcourse, even though I do love me some Theo James! He and Jai Courtney are definitely on my list :)**

 **Without further ado, here's the continuation of the previous chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter 9: Best Friends, Part 2

Eric POV

"Tris, do you want to go home?" I ask. She shakes her head no.

"Chris, can you fix my makeup?" She asks, not lifting her head from Four's shoulder.

"You know I can." Chris grabs a bag and gently pulls Tris away from Four and into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Four and I walk into the kitchen.

"Eric, I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to overstep." He says.

"No, don't apologize for that. What you did back there was great. She needed to hear it, and you needed to say it. Thank you." I offer my hand for a handshake. He shakes it.

"If we're not careful, people are going to think we actually like each other." Four chuckles.

"Shit, maybe it's about time that we did." I reply.

"Yeah, maybe it is." He nods. "Want a beer?"

"Yeah, can you get one for Tris too?" I ask. He grabs 3 bottles, opens them and hands me 2. We head back out to the living room to join our friends. We notice that Al and Lynn have left.

"Is she ok?" Shauna asks.

"Four talked to her, and Chris is fixing her makeup. I think she will be." I reply.

"She will. Peter is a fucking douche." Four says.

"You broke his nose Four, that was great." Uriah says with a huge smile.

"He's lucky that's all he got. If Tris hadn't of been sitting on Eric's lap. I'm pretty sure someone would be fishing Peter out of the chasm." Will says.

"He better hope I never catch his ass alone." I reply.

"She can't possibly believe that people really think that of her." Marlene says.

"People have been pretty opinionated. They may not come out and say anything quite that vulgar, but there has been plenty of talk about how everything went down." Shauna says.

"If I hear any of that shit I will kick whoever's ass that dares to say it." Uriah replies.

"Me too." Zeke says.

"Me three" Will replies.

"Me Four." Four says, earning a groan from the room.

"That was horrible. Even for you." Zeke laughs.

Christina and Tris emerge from the bathroom and join the group. Tris comes right over to me and sits on my lap, straddling me and giving me a hard kiss. I immediately open my mouth for her and her tongue enters and dances with mine. We break the kiss and sit with our foreheads touching.

"I love you." She says.

"I love you too, so much." I reply. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm sorry I pushed you away." She replies.

"You needed Four. It's ok babe, I understand. I am glad he was here to help."

"Thank you for understanding. You are the best person I know." She says, kissing me again, running her fingers through my hair.

"Hey number 1 newlyweds, quit making out on my couch." Zeke yells, throwing a pillow at us. Tris and I break apart and laugh.

"Should we use your bathroom instead?" I ask, earning a laugh from everyone.

"Ready for Canor or Dauntless?" Uri asks. I hand Tris her beer.

"I say we just do Candor. I think it's fitting." Chris replies with a smile. "I'll go first, Marlene who was your first love?"

"Uriah." She says with a blush. Uri gives her a quick kiss and pulls her onto his lap.

"Zeke, if you had to leave Shauna for someone in this room, who would it be?" Marlene asks.

"I'd be alone. That's my one and only." He smiles at Shauna and earns a round of "Awwws" from the girls.

"Four, my man, what is your real name?" Zeke asks.

"What do I do if I don't want to answer?" He asks.

"Drink, but come on man, it's just us." Zeke says. "You've kept us waiting long enough." Zeke smiles.

He sighs. "Fine, but it doesn't leave this room. It's Tobias Eaton."

Tris looks over at Four with a look of surprise. The rest of the room goes quiet.

"Holy shit, almost 3 years and you finally answered that." Zeke says.

"Marcus Eaton's son?" Will asks.

"On paper, yes. The bastard is not my father though." Four replies.

"The reports?" Will asks without finishing. "I transferred from Erudite, I remember hearing about them." He adds.

"If the reports you are referring to are the ones from Erudite that accused him of beating his son then yes, they are true. I left Abnegation for a reason." Four replies, looking very unsure of himself. Tris moves off my lap and over to Four, taking his hand in hers. He smiles warmly at her. "You all are my best friends, and I trust that this will stay between us. I'm not quite ready to go public with this as of yet, but I'm closer."

"We're all here for you buddy." Zeke says. Everyone agrees, offering encouragement and words of support.

"Tris, did you know Four before coming here?" Shauna asks.

"No. Four and I knew of each other back in Abnegation, but his father made sure to keep him away from everyone. My mother always suspected though." Four looks at Tris with surprise across his face. "I overheard her talking to my dad about it after you left."

"Is this the first time you've told anyone about this?" Marlene asks.

"No, Tris knew. She's the first person I ever told myself. Those who are privy to initiates fear landscapes know about it because Marcus shows up as my biggest fear." He replies.

"That's why you don't use your fears to practice with during initiation?" Chris asks.

"Yeah. There are only three others, so it would get rather repetitive if we removed Marcus."

"Four fears, you're one brave dude." Uriah says.

"I don't feel very brave, I left Abnegation because I was a coward." Four says. "I couldn't stand up to him, or report him. I was afraid."

"Four, man you are Dauntless through and through. There's no doubt you belong here no matter what your reasons for leaving were." Zeke says.

"I agree. I hated you in initiation just because this Stiff from Abnegation was better than me, in everything. Everyone expected Abnegation transfers to be weak, and cut almost immediately and you proved me and everyone else wrong. You belong here, probably more than I do. You went through hell for 18 years in Abnegation, and you came here and reinvented youself. Fuck man, you only have four fears, even after all that. You're a legend." I say.

"Thank you." He says, looking straight at me with sincerity.

"Is Marcus the reason you never would accept a leadership position?" Will asks.

"For the most part, yes. I also didn't like where I thought leadership was going, and I absolutely didn't want to work with Eric. We weren't exactly friends then." He replies.

"Yeah, we certainly couldn't find a way to be civil to each other." I agree.

"Things are different now, I'm glad you finally accepted the position because you really do belong in leadership. As far as Marcus is concerned, we are all here for you no matter what you decide." Tris says and everyone nods in agreement and offers encouragement.

"Thank you all. It feels good to talk about it. Now, let's stop being a buzzkill. Eric, why did you transfer to Dauntless?" He asks.

"Wait, you're a transfer? You, Mr. Poster Boy for Dauntless?" Chris asks, shock evident in her voice.

I'm caught off guard by the question. Tris joins me back on my lap and I wrap my arms around her and take a deep breath, as she laces her fingers with mine. "Yes, I'm a transfer too. I came from Erudite, my parents wanted perfect Erudite children and I never fit their mold. As for why I transferred, there are two reasons, one is I wanted to be a protector, a soldier, everything Dauntless stands for. The second reason is because it was one of the factions I got on my aptitude test." Sounds of surprise go through the room.

"You're divergent?" Uriah asks, obviously shocked.

"Yeah. Erudite and Dauntless." I reply.

"That should have been so obvious." Four replied, shaking his head. "You've hidden it extremely well. No one has suspected you, not once."

"I am too." Uriah says, shocking the group. "Dauntless and Amity of all things." He grins.

"I can totally see that." Will smiles.

"Dauntless and Abnegation here." Four says.

"Holy shit. Really?" Chris replies. "Its crazy that in this little group there are three freaking divergents."

"Make that four. Dauntless, Erudite and Abnegation." Tris says quietly.

"Tris! Three factions? I've never heard of anyone getting three. No wonder you were so damn good at capture the flag!" Uriah says. "Four, did you know when you picked her?"

Four chuckles. "Nope. I didn't figure it out until stage 2."

"Yeah climbing the Ferris wheel certainly got my attention." I say, squeezing Tris' hands. She turns her head and kisses my cheek.

"Yeah, that's all I heard about for days afterward. That was a pretty epic move." Zeke replies.

"So if you knew Tris was divergent during stage two, how is it she wasn't discovered?" Will asks.

"She made it through her first fear without me really noticing any manipulation. It was her second time going in that I knew. I had to manually delete her footage, and blame it on a computer malfunction. I did help her practice, in my fear landscape, but only to teach her how a Dauntless handled fears. I was afraid she would be killed if anyone found out about her divergence." Four replies with a blank look on his face.

"Weren't you hunting divergents?" Shauna asks me bluntly.

"No he wasn't." Surprisingly, Four answers. "I believed he was for a long time though, and I regret not accepting the truth when it was right in front of my face. He and Max are who turned Jeanine in. They were playing her to get information to make a case against her. Once they had enough evidence, Jack Kang ordered her to be arrested, and Max and Eric led a small team to apprehend her. I know this because they wanted me to be a part of the team, but I was too busy hating Eric and thinking the worst of him that I refused."

"Why didn't we know all of this? All we were ever told is that Jeanine had been arrested, convicted and executed for her crimes. Never once did anyone tell us that you and Max were involved in apprehending her." Shauna asks. "People to this day still think you were part of Jeanine's plan and that you got away with it because she took the fall."

"Yeah, seriously. You couldn't have wanted the negative attention and gossip that was going around about you man. People were brutal in their judgment of you." Zeke says to me.

"I didn't do it for attention or praise. I did it because it was the right thing to do. I really didn't care what people thought of me, and I still don't. I will admit, the whole situation fucked with my head, I was a jerk and I really started hating myself." I reply.

"More like collosal asshole." Christina quips. "Seriously, you were a tyrant. I don't care how many times we've talked about it since, hanging me over the chasm was pretty fucked up. I do know why you did it though, and I now understand that you wouldn't have let me fall, but it doesn't mean I liked it."

"I didn't handle the pressure of playing the part for Jeanine and also being a leader assisting with initiates very well. Plus, the one person I truly cared about was not only the number one suspected divergent on Jeanine's list, she was also dating the person I hated the most." I sigh, Tris squeezes my hands hard and I kiss her temple.

"So, you wanted Tris while we were initiates, but you were mean as hell to her instead?" Marlene asks. "You really have no game." We laugh.

"It's not that I had no game," I throw a quick glare at Marlene, "I just had too much at stake. My role in Jeanine's plan was to capture and bring her divergents. To avoid doing that, all while convincing her I was loyal to her cause was difficult enough on its own. I still had my normal leadership duties, plus supervising initiation. It wasn't a big secret that Four and I despised each other at that time, and I was cracking under all of the pressure of everything. It wasn't an ideal time to confess my feelings." I chuckle. "Besides, she and Four had already started something. No matter how much of a prick I am, I don't steal someone else's girl."

"It obviously worked out the way it was supposed to. She married you." Marlene says.

"Indeed I did, and I love him more than I thought was possible." Tris replies, then kisses me softly.

"I love you too." I whisper to her.

"Damn, it all makes sense now." Will says. "I can completely understand that dealing with that amount of stress could cause you to act the way you did towards us."

"Tris, did you know all of this?" Uriah asks.

"Not until after we were married. I know you all thought I was crazy, but working one on one with him during leadership training showed me the real Eric. Sure, he's tough as nails, and arrogant, and can be a jerk." She smiles and kisses my cheek. "But, he was a great trainer, friend and confidant. I actually liked Eric early on in training, even without knowing anything about the part he played in taking Jeanine down." Tris replies.

"You didn't tell her?" Four asks me, clearly surprised.

"No, I didn't. It would have hurt her if she knew you had hidden the truth from her, and I didn't want to do anything to interfere in your relationship. Contrary to what many believe, I didn't swoop in and steal Tris. I just fell in love with her, and waited for her to figure things out on her own." I reply.

"It's true. We were friends, heck he even gave me relationship advice that kept me from breaking up with you more than once." Tris says to Four.

"I clearly underestimated your character. I apologize, Eric. I was wrong about you." He says to me.

"Thanks, I appreciate it. I'm sorry too, for being a collosal asshole as our Candor friend so nicely put it." We all laugh and some of the seriousness of the subject matter is lifted.

"This is seriously the best Candor game we've ever played." Marlene says. "I'm definitely not as interesting as you all, I mean my biggest secret is my natural hair color." She laughs.

"What is your natural hair color?" Shauna asks.

"Blonde. I dye it brown, people tend to take me more seriously with brown hair." She grins.

"I think us Dauntless born must be boring." Zeke replies with a smirk.

"Except Uriah and his split personalities." Will laughs.

"Hey, I'm unique. My mom even said so." Uri replies, laughing.

"All kidding aside, you three really amaze me. You're being very mature about a tough situation, and seeing you interact with each other is really awesome. You three are really friends, and you respect each other. I never thought I would see that happen." Shauna says, smiling at Tris, Four and me.

"We just needed to face some harsh truths, even if we didn't like it." Four replies. Tris and I nod in agreement.

"So Chris and Will, what's the best part of married life?" Marlene asks.

"It feels a lot like when we were dating to be honest, but now it just is so much more because we chose to make a commitment to each other. We had vows and made promises. It's a lifetime thing now." Will replies and Chris beams.

"I always knew I wanted to marry Will. It was a love at first sight thing for sure. I think he needed convincing" Chris laughs and Will kisses her hard. "Maybe not love at first sight, because I distinctly remember arguing with him the first time we ate together, but he was definitely special to me. I don't know if I could have made it through initiation without his support. I never thought I'd transfer here, meet my best friend and the love of my life. What about you two?" Chris asks Tris and me.

"Ours is definitely unconventional. We didn't have the history that you and Will did. We talk a lot, kind of like what we're doing here tonight as a group. We ask each other the hard questions, and the silly ones too. We take our commitment to each other seriously, and even though our wedding wasn't planned we chose to be married. The next morning we had the option of shredding the marriage license and pretending it never happened, but we made the choice to be married." I reply.

"I still can't believe you're married. It's just surreal to me. I knew that Tris and Four weren't going to work, but they seriously needed to figure it out on their own. I would have never put you two together though. But, I also wouldn't have thought we'd be sitting here drinking together as friends." Zeke says to me, tipping his beer bottle towards me. I return the gesture.

"Agreed. I wouldn't have thought any of this was possible. Celebrating their wedding, you guys' engagement, talking with Uri and Marlene about divergence, becoming friends with Four after marrying his girlfriend." Everyone laughs at that. "Or marrying Tris Prior. I married a Stiff." I laugh and Tris smacks my arm.

"You love this Stiff." She says.

"With all my being." I reply, kissing her gently.

"We should get married." Uriah says to Marlene out of the blue.

"Um, what did you just say?" Marlene asks, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"You and me, married. I love you. Why wouldn't I want to marry you?"

I look around and everyone is as shocked as me.

"Uriah Pedrad, if you are serious about this you have to do it right. I want a ring, a proposal with you down on a knee, and you have to get my father's blessing. And, no matter how great it's worked out for these guys we will not be getting married in Max's office. And we're sober for the whole thing." Marlene replies.

"Ok, I'm gonna do it all. Marlene you are it for me, and I don't wanna waste any time." Marlene cuts him off with a kiss, and we all applaud.

"And to think, marriage fever all started because you two got drunk." Chris points at Tris and me.

"Well rumor has it that he really wanted to get into my pants." Tris laughs.

"We need the whole story." Uriah says.

Tris looks over at Four, gauging his reaction. He nods and smiles. "I wouldn't mind hearing it myself. It's fine Tris, honest."

"I think its been established that our relationship was done, it had probably been over for at least 6 months before I caught you cheating." She says to Four and he nods.

"That's accurate." Four replies.

"So, that night Max had invited Eric and me to the Pit to celebrate my promotion to full leader. Dana joined us too. We were drinking tequila, and once my guard was down I told everyone that I had walked in on Four having sex with someone else in our shower, and how that was the push I needed to finally end our failed relationship." Four cringes at the memory, but nods his head. "Eric and I had always been flirty, but never crossing the line or being inappropriate. We had become really good friends while working together too. After I made my announcement that I was done with Four, he and I drank a lot more and decided to do body shots." Tris blushes and looks back at me to continue.

"That led to a kiss, a really amazing first kiss for us. It was great, until Max caught us." I say, laughing at the memory. "We drank more, Tris and I danced a lot, flirted a lot, and made out a whole lot. She was convinced that I only wanted in her pants, and I wanted to prove she wasn't a conquest. So, I asked Max if he would marry us, and he told us no. Tris convinced him to do it, saying it'd be fun and we didn't have to file the license once we were sober. So we got married." I chuckle.

"The next morning, we had a serious talk about how we felt about each other. Eric told me he was in love with me and had been for awhile. I knew I had fallen for him, but those feelings had been buried completely because I had always felt like I needed to work out things with Four. Catching him with Abby wasn't ideal, but it caused me to finally be ok making that clean break from him." Tris says, catching Four's eye. "So Eric and I decided to give this marriage all we have. We asked Max to file the license, and here we are."

"You realize that what you two have isn't normal, right? Most people who get shit faced and make out just go home and have crazy sex." Chris says while laughing.

"Well, we did have crazy sex, but not until we were married." I reply with a grin.

"And that's my cue to leave." Four laughs, standing up.

"Nooooo, don't go. We won't talk about our sex life." Tris whines. Four sighs and sits back down.

"Fine, but I'm changing the subject now. Zeke and Shauna, when are you two tying the knot?" Four asks.

"We're definitely going to wait until after initiation is over. Everyone in this room, except Mar and us are involved with that and we want you all to be able to participate in our wedding without distractions." Zeke replies.

"Exactly. I don't want to compete with initiation, that's for sure. I definitely need Chris's expertise." Shauna replies.

"I'm totally fine with that. You guys are going to get the wedding I didn't have!" Chris exclaims.

"Are you regretting that we eloped?" Will asks.

"Not at all baby, I love you and that's all that matters to me. I just like to throw a party." Chris kisses Will.

"Four, what happened with you and Abby?" Marlene asks. "She was pretty pissed at work today, and made it clear it was about you."

"I broke up with her. She made me choose between my friends and her, and I chose my friends." He replies.

"All of your friends, or just Tris?" Christina asks.

"Jesus Chris, you are blunt. Fucking Candor. Her main issue was the friendship with Tris, however even if I had of chosen to not be friends with Tris she would have still had an issue because our circle of friends is the same. I can't be friends with everyone without being friends with her, and vice versa. I refuse to be out in a situation where I'm asked to end an important friendship. Tris and I know exactly why our relationship didn't work, and we want to be friends, why should anyone stop that? I mean, Eric is ok with it, and he's usually not ok with anything."

"I'm wounded. Really." I reply with a smirk. Four laughs.

"It'll be easy to find you a woman. You're the legendary Four." Chris replies.

"Who had a legendary relationship with Tris that everyone knows about." Four replies. "Apparently that's a deterrent."

"Well you did cheat on her." Chris replies.

"Seriously Chris, can you just stop being honest for a little while?" Shauna asks.

"I don't think it's their relationship that's a deterrent though. I think it's how it ended. Just give it some time, people will forget about it." Chris says.

"I wish Abby would forget it." Four sighs. "Can we stop talking about my relationship failures now?"

"You do suck at relationships." Christina replies.

"Enough Candor!" Four replies, shaking his head.

"I have a very important question." Zeke proclaims. "Eric, what's up with your hair man?"

"This is why I normally gel it back. It's my wife's fault." I reply.

"I like it, I can run my fingers through it." Tris replies, while playing with my hair.

"Her doing that is exactly why I didn't gel my hair." I reply, relaxing into Tris's touch.

Zeke and Uriah decide to try to talk Chris and Will into zip lining. It turns into a group argument that Tris and I tune out.

"I'm really surprised you opened up tonight. I think everyone else is too." Tris says.

"Me too, honestly. It just felt like the right thing to do, and the right time. I guess you stiffs are changing me a bit." I smirk at Tris and she rolls her eyes.

"We're not stiffs, nose."

"Touché." I laugh.

Tris settles back against me and plays with my hair while we listen to our friends arguments about how to spend the rest of the evening. They can do whatever they want, I'm perfectly content in the little bubble that is Tris and me.


	10. Jealousy

**I don't normally like to give away hints, but I did get a guest reviewer who was concerned that this was a FourTris story and not enough Eris. Four and Tris are good friends, realizing that that's all they should have ever been. There are a lot of Eris stories out there, including one of my own, that paint Four as the bad guy. I didn't want that with this story, so he will continue to play a big part and the friendships will continue to grow. Don't worry, there will be no Four interference with Eris :)**

 **Thank you all for the reviews, I hope you continue to enjoy this story.**

Chapter 10: Jealousy

Tris POV

Things have been quite hectic these past three weeks to say the least. Will was officially offered, and he accepted, the fifth leadership position and he was immediately thrown into training with Eric. Four and I have been cramming two months worth of training into three weeks, and on top of that we're working with the new initiation class. Eric has had Will shadowing him on the leadership meetings while Four and I shadow Max, and since Max wanted me involved with initiation Eric hasn't even stopped by to torture the initiates yet. Eric and I barely have a moment alone, and it's frustrating.

We have an unusually small group of transfers this year, with only 11 total to start. Jasper, a boy I remember from Abnegation, two Amity transfers Rayne and Daisy, four Candors Dillon, Sara, Jessica and Michael and four Erudite transfers Paul, Rion, Talia and Cass.

Four has been busy keeping his eye on Rayne, a beautiful raven haired Amity transfer who is just as enamored with him as he is with her and I'm dealing with a headache today in the form of a transfer from Candor named Dillon. For the past week that he's been here, he's flirted with me relentlessly and could care less that I don't return any of his affections or attention. When he's not flirting, he can be unnecessarily crass, bordering on cruel.

We spent all this week working with weapons. Even though this is the last day, Dillon still asks me for more help than he could possibly need.

"Tris, could you come here for a second? I want to see your form for knife throwing again, maybe a little closer to me this time." Dillon asks, wagging his eyebrows at me.

"I've shown you enough initiate. Continue with what you've been taught all week." I reply, moving between stations to observe and assist when needed.

"Are you refusing to help? I thought you were here to teach me." He replies.

"I believe you are refusing to listen. I've gone over this with you every day for the past week. You should learn to retain the information that Four and I share with you. Now continue." I bark.

Four shoots me a questioning look and I shake my head. We continue to observe the initiates, and find that for the most part they look like a solid group.

"So, Tris, I heard a rumor about you." Dillon says when I get closer to his station. I just ignore him and keep walking. "I heard that you've had sex with two different leaders, so is it true? Are you screwing your way up the leadership tree?"

I stop walking and turn to face him. "Everyone stop throwing!" I yell. "Dillon, you sure have a lot of questions. Since you've asked to observe my form for knife throwing, I feel like I should oblige and ensure you get the best view possible. Go stand in front of the target."

"What, why?" He stutters. I notice the training room doors open and Will and Eric stride in.

"Did I not make myself clear? Go stand in front of the target now initiate." I boom. Dillon does as he's told and faces me defiantly. I see Eric talking to Four, and Four shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head.

"Fine, I'm here. Now what?" He asks.

I turn around to grab a knife. "So Dillon, you wanted to observe my form for knife throwing. Watch, and learn, and you won't flinch if you know what's good for you." I quickly throw the first knife, he lets out a muffled scream as it lands less than two inches from his left ear. "First, you want to ensure that you are relaxed and that your legs are at least a shoulder width apart." I grab another knife, and Eric slowly walks over to where I'm standing. "Next, it's a good idea to perfect the throwing form by practicing without a knife. But I'm going to skip that step." I throw my next knife and it lands at almost the same spot, except this time it's on his right side.

"You can get closer than that." Eric says.

"Should I take a little off the top? Give him a trim?" I ask Eric and he chuckles softly.

"Yeah." He replies.

"Look, stop, please. I didn't mean it." Dillon pleads.

"Always know your opponents weaknesses and fears." I say while throwing the third knife, skimming the top of his head. I grab another knife and face Dillon. "This is a bonus piece of advice, so pay close attention. Don't ever fucking ask me about my personal life ever again." I throw the last knife, it lands between his legs, slightly touching the fabric of the crotch of his pants. Dillon doesn't even try to suppress the scream this time. There is a collective gasp from the initiates.

"Did anyone else want to address any rumors about my personal life?" I yell, hearing "no" and seeing head shakes. "Good, I'm glad we're clear. Get out, we're taking a long lunch, be back by 2:00." Dillon tries to step away from the target and we hear the rip of his pants. "You, go change your pants, and based on your screaming you may need a new pair of underpants as well. You will not talk to me about any subject outside of training, and if you keep asking the same fucking questions repeatedly I'll make you factionless. Get the fuck out, now." He quickly leaves the room, leaving me with Eric, Four and Will, all gaping at me.

"Holy shit babe, what happened?" Eric asks, grabbing my hands with his.

"That asshole is what happened. He never stops with the flirting, the innuendoes and other shit. Then today he wants to tell me, loudly, that he's heard a rumor that I have slept with two leaders and I'm fucking my way to the top."

"What the hell? Where does this kid get off?" Will says.

"I'm sorry Tris, I've been trying to keep an eye on him." Four replies.

"Your eye has been on Rayne, Four. It's ok though, I don't need anyone to fight my battles." I reply. "Today was just the last straw." Eric pulls me close, wrapping his arms around me.

"Well, since you almost rendered him incapable of having children, I have a feeling his shit attitude will improve drastically. You're scary, and I'm proud of it." Eric says, kissing my forehead.

"Tris, Eric, we're heading to lunch, see you guys there." Will says, before he and Four leave the training room.

"Do you know how much your little show turned me on?" Eric growls, kissing me behind my left ear, and grinding his erection into me.

"Oh, so you like it when I throw knives at initiates? Did it turn you on when you had Four throw them at me?" I ask, grinding into him.

"Yes, your defiance made me want to spank you like the bad girl you are." He replies, kissing my neck.

"There aren't any cameras in the locker room." I whisper. Eric picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. We go straight to the shower stalls in the locker room.

"I think you need to cool off baby. You seem very hot and bothered." He says, while taking my shirt and sports bra off. He turns on the shower and adjusts the temperature.

"You have entirely too much clothes on for a shower." I reply, yanking his shirt over his head and then moving to unbuckle his pants. We quickly shed the rest of our clothes and step into the shower stall. Eric wastes no time, picking me up by the back of my thighs and holding me against the wall. He thrusts into me hard, and begins pounding into me.

"Fuck baby, you are so fucking wet and tight." He moans in my ear. I pull his hair hard to bring his mouth to mine. We kiss each other hungrily, tongues mating and fighting for dominance. "You're going to cum for me Tris." He whispers, then pulls out from me completely. "Turn around baby." He commands. I turn to face the shower wall and Eric kisses down my back while bending me over slightly, he then yanks on my hips and pushes into me. He starts off slow, but then he pulls my hair and starts thrusting harder into me. He reaches around and pulls on my nipples. He bites on my neck and then runs his hand down my front until he reaches my clit. He starts rubbing me while pounding into me and I can feel my release.

"Oh Eric..." I moan quietly, my walls spasming around his cock. He bites on my shoulder while releasing inside of me, my name slipping off his tongue.

"I've missed you." He says, catching his breath. He pulls out of me and gently turns me around to face him. He kisses me softly, I part my lips slightly and our tongues dance.

"I've missed you too. So much." I reply in between kisses. Eric puts some soap from the in shower dispenser into his hands and lathers it over my body. He kneads my tense shoulders, while kissing my neck and up to my jawline. "God that feels so good."

I get some soap and lather Eric's body as well, paying attention to his tense lower back. We massage each other until the shower runs cold. We dry off and get dressed.

"We have some time, let's go have lunch, I haven't been able to eat with you all week." he says, and we head to the cafeteria hand in hand. Once inside, we're greeted by stares at our entwined hands and wet hair. I stiffen up, but Eric holds me close to him and whispers "Fuck them, let 'em talk. You're my wife." He kisses my ear and neck briefly before pulling me to the table that Will, Four and Chris are sitting at.

"You two look refreshed." Chris says with a smirk.

"Very." I reply with a laugh.

"Looks like there's a few angry initiates, I think you may have made some enemies Eric." Will says gesturing over to where Dillon, Michael and Rion are sitting and staring daggers at my husband. Eric puts his arm around my waist and pulls me closer to him. I run my fingers through his wet, curly hair. He places soft kisses on my temple and cheek.

"Idiots. I may have to have a chat with the transfers after lunch. You up for it Will?" Eric asks.

"Indeed." Will replies with a grin.

"So, Tris, Four tells me you threw knives at that Dillon kid and almost castrated him." Chris smiles.

"I don't blame her. Idiot was shit talking because she won't flirt back with him." Four replies.

"He reminds me of Peter." I sigh. "So Four, have you made a move on Rayne yet?"

"Jesus, Tris. You know I can't, not while she's an initiate." I roll my eyes at him.

"Since when? You made your move on me in stage two." I smirk.

"That was before I was a leader." He replies.

"Four, man up. Had circumstances been different during Tris's initiation I would have made a move on her, leader or not. If you're into this girl then go for it. Tris can be responsible for her scoring." Eric replies.

"Speaking of making a move, what's the deal with Jasper, Tris?" Four asks.

"What about him? I knew him from Abnegation. He lived a few houses down from you." I reply.

"Have you not noticed that he is smitten with you?" He smirks. "He's been asking about you too. He seems to have harbored a huge crush on you for years."

"Nice deflection. Not going to work though." I reply.

"Do the initiates not know that we're married?" Eric asks.

"Today's the first time they've seen you, so probably not. I mean they're seeing us now, and I wear my rings." I answer.

"Don't worry Eric, everyone in this compound knows she belongs to you and they are appropriately terrified of you." Will says laughing.

"As they should be." Eric replies with a smirk.

"Tris, Four, I need you both in my office. Eric, Will, can you take care of the transfers for a bit?" Max asks while stopping abruptly at our table.

"Yeah, I guess." Eric answers. I give him a quick kiss and then Four and I follow Max to his office. Once we get there, he quickly waves us in.

"There's a situation in Abnegation with some factionless disturbance, the council members have asked for Dauntless protection and investigation, and you two have specifically been requested. There have been threats made on Marcus Eaton and Andrew Prior's lives. I'm going to need you both ready to leave by 8:00 this evening. Prepare to be gone at least a week." Max says. "I know you have questions, lay them on me."

"What are we expected to do?" I ask.

"Shadow the council. I'm sending additional guards in, but you will specifically be protecting Marcus and Andrew." He replies.

"Where will we be staying?" Four asks.

"We've moved Marcus and Andrew, along with Natalie, into a safe house. You two will be staying with them."

"What about the initiates?" Four asks.

"I'm going to combine the transfers with the Dauntless born and add Shauna as an additional trainer. I've already discussed it and made arrangements. I'll be talking with Eric and Will to make sure they're available as needed for their help." Max replies.

"Does Eric know anything about this assignment?" I ask Max.

"No. I needed to talk to the two of you first. Shauna is going to come in to training after lunch so you can introduce her, and then you can send the group over with Uriah and Christina and the Dauntless born." He replies. "Tris, Eric will have to understand, this is part of your leadership duties. Do you have any more questions?" He asks.

"No sir." I answer and Four shakes his head.

"You're dismissed, be at the train by 8:00 this evening."

"Yes sir." We reply and leave his office.

"This is going to be difficult, for so many reasons." I sigh. "I need to talk to Eric as soon as we're back. Can you handle things?"

"Yeah, absolutely." Four replies.

We walk back to the training room and we find that the initiates are all working on the bags. They're all quiet, and look rather frightened. Eric must have had his little talk. Will and Eric are making the rounds, offering advice and critique. I make eye contact with Eric and motion him to follow me. We walk out of the training room and into the hallway.

"Hey babe, what did Max need?" Eric asks, while kissing my neck softly.

"He's sending Four and me on an assignment." I reply. Eric stops kissing me and makes eye contact.

"What kind of assignment?" He asks.

"The factionless are causing issues in Abnegation, and there have been death threats made against Marcus and my father. They've requested extra guards for the council, and Marcus and my father requested Four and me personally to guard them."

"And Max agreed to this? We have perfectly capable guards for this very reason." Eric replies.

"Yes, Max agreed. They've already moved my parents and Marcus into a safe house." I reply.

"How long is he sending you for?"

"He said one week minimum."

Eric sighs and shakes his head. "Where are you staying?"

"The safe house." I reply.

"When do you leave?"

"We have to be at the train by 8:00 this evening."

"This is fucking ridiculous! Why would he send two junior leaders on guard duty?" He seethes.

"Do you not think we are capable?" I ask.

"Tris, no, don't think that way. Ofcourse you're capable. This just isn't a typical leader assignment. I know you are more than able to handle any situation that's thrown your way. I just wish I was going with you." He leans down to kiss me, and then touches his forehead to mine. "I'm going to miss you, and I can't say I'm thrilled that you're going with Four."

"You have to start trusting him. There's been no issues since the first day of training, and he's apologized profusely for it."

"I know. Do you need to get back to the intiates?"

"No, Four agreed to handle them. I need to go pack, but afterward I just want to spend some quiet time with you." I kiss the underside of his jaw.

"I'd much rather it be some loud time." He whispers, bending down to run his tongue around my ear.

"Let's go." We walk up to our apartment hand in hand.

As I'm packing my toiletries, Eric steps into the bathroom with me.

"I could speak to Max, try to convince him to change the assignment." He says.

"Eric, no. It's already hard enough being the only woman in leadership, how is it going to look if special favors are asked for, especially coming from my husband?"

"Tris, I just don't like this." He replies, exasperated.

"Eric, I don't necessarily like it either, but it's my job. Just like it would be yours if you were tasked with the same type of assignment. You know this."

"Its almost as if you want to go."

"I get to see my parents, but do you realize the circumstances in which I'm being allowed to see them? My father is receiving death threats, Eric, serious enough to warrant being moved into a safe house and having around the clock guarding."

"I understand and acknowledge the nature of this assignment Tris, but I'm concerned. You're both going to be seeing Marcus too, living with him and protecting him. Who will protect you from him? We've all seen how Four shuts down, and he does like to get particularly affectionate with you when it happens." Eric replies, anger evident in his voice.

"Finally, the true reason for you opposing this assignment comes out. You're jealous."

"I have other reasons for my trepidation. You shouldn't be so quick to dismiss those."

"Nor should you be so quick to dismiss the actual reasons behind this assignment. You're reducing it to a social call. Even if you feel as if you can't trust Four, you can and should trust me." I reply before walking out of the bathroom.

"Did you even try to fight the assignment?" He asks, following me to the bedroom.

"No, there was no reason to. We were specifically requested, and Max had already agreed. What good would it do to argue with my boss about it?"

"You didn't even take my feelings into consideration."

"How can you say that? Ofcourse I did. Why do you think I immediately came to you? I cleared the rest of my schedule so I could spend every second with you. This is my job Eric, you of all people should understand why I have to go. Instead, you're treating me like I asked to be sent away from you on a rendezvous with my ex. I'm done packing, I'm going down for dinner."

"Tris, dinner doesn't start until 4:00."

"Then I'll find something to do until then. I'm not spending the rest of my time here arguing with you." I reply, grabbing my keys before walking out of the apartment. I take the elevator down, and head towards the training room. I walk in and find Shauna, Uriah and Christina along with all of the initiates, who are working on the punching bags.

"Hey, I thought you were done for the day Trissy." Uriah says with a smile.

"I got finished packing early, figured I'd come down to make sure Shauna didn't need anything." I reply.

"Nope, I'm good, but thank you for checking on me." She smiles.

"Hey, can I borrow you for a few minutes?" Christina asks me. I nod and follow her to the locker room. "What's wrong?" She asks.

"Is it that obvious?" I groan.

"To me, yes. Did you two get into a fight about this assignment?" She asks.

"Sort of. I feel like he's ignoring the reasons behind the assignment and reducing it to a social call. He feels like I should have fought Max on it."

"He's pissed that you're going with Four. Does he not realize that the only reason you're going is because they are getting death threats?" She asks.

"That's exactly how I feel. I don't want to see my parents under these circumstances, and if it were a social call I'd be taking my husband not my ex." I sigh.

"There's a part of me that can understand his jealousy, but the bigger part of me sees its obviously not warranted. You are married to him, by your own choice. It's obvious to anyone who sees you two how much you love each other. You've never once doubted your decision to marry him, and he's a really confident person by nature. It's odd. Did something happen?"

"Just the one incident from the beginning of training that you know about. If anything, he and Four have actually become friends." I shake my head. "It's just frustrating."

"Tris, he trusts you and he loves you. This is just a fight, and from the sounds of it it's your first. You don't want to leave angry with each other. Go make up with your husband, as many times as possible." She wiggles her eyebrows at me and we laugh.

"Thank you." I hug her.

"I'm going to miss you. Be safe, and promise me you'll come home unscathed."

"I'll do my best, you know me." I grin, we walk out of the locker room arm in arm. We find that the initiates have been dismissed, and see Eric talking to Uriah and Shauna.

"Hey." He says to me softly. "Can we talk?"

I nod my head and he reaches for my hand, entwining our fingers. I turn toward Uri, Chris and Shauna and tell everyone goodbye. Eric and I start walking back towards our apartment in silence. Once we're inside, I immediately push him against the wall and crash my lips to his. He reciprocates quickly, threading his hands through my hair and down my body, stopping to lift my shirt over my head. I reach for his belt buckle and quickly undo it, pushing his jeans and boxers down as he kicks his boots off. I reach for his shirt, removing it with one motion while he pushes my leggings and panties down. I kick my shoes off before he unclasps my bra and removes it. He spins us around, picks me up under my thighs and presses my back against the wall, entering me in one thrust.

I can feel how large he is from this angle, and while he's not being gentle he's still being very sensual. Our mouths barely leave each other, kissing and sucking while our hips move in sync. He moves us away from the wall, never separating our bodies, and backs to the couch and sits down with me on top of him. I begin riding him, his hands digging into my hips as he guides me up and down his cock. From this angle, I feel my pleasure quickly building. I am moaning into his mouth, sucking on his tongue while his fingers are rubbing my clit. He brings his mouth down and bites my nipple before sucking it, and my release comes hard and fast, with me screaming his name. Once I've ridden out my orgasm, I slide off of him and he flips me over so he can take me from behind. He pounds into me, the only sounds are our bodies slapping together and our combined moans. He smacks my ass hard before pulling my hair to bring our bodies flush against each other. He bites down on my shoulder, and reaches around to pinch my nipple. He pushes me back down, roughly grabs my hips to bring us impossibly closer and I meet him thrust for thrust. His pace begins to get frantic and he soon calls out my name while spilling inside of me.

He slowly pulls out of me, before sitting down and pulling me onto his lap. He kisses me, his tongue asking for entrance and mating with mine. We rest our foreheads against each other and catch our breath.

"I'm sorry." He says. "I am jealous, and I shouldn't be. I love you Tris."

"I love you too. I'm sorry for walking out. I do understand why you got upset, and I shouldn't have dismissed your feelings. I don't want to fight, not ever but especially not before leaving for an assignment."

"I'm going to miss you." He whispers while kissing my neck.

"Show me how much." I whisper back.

We make love again before getting into the shower, where we have one more go at it. Once we are dressed, we head to the cafeteria for a quick bite to eat before walking to the train tracks. Max and Four are already there, waiting.

"Good evening Coulter's. Eric, will you be accompanying us on the train?" Max asks.

"Hello Max, Four. Yes, I'll be joining you if that's ok." He replies and Max nods in approval.

We each jump on the train, and once inside Max hands Four a folder and briefly goes over our instructions for locating the safe house. Four puts the folder and its contents into his bag and he and Max start their own conversation about his training progress. Eric pulls me into a hug and buries his face into my neck.

"Promise me you'll be careful. Pay close attention to your surroundings at all times. Be hyper aware." He whispers.

"I promise you. I love you."

"I love you too. You have your communication tablet, and your phone. You'll be doing your check ins with me and Four will be checking in with Max."

I nod in agreement against his chest. We share brief kisses throughout the rest of the ride.

"Jumping in three minutes." Four calls out.

"I love you so much. I'll see you soon, ok?" I say to Eric. He kisses me deeply.

"I love you too, and I'll talk to you soon. Be safe my love." He replies.

Four and I throw our bags out of the train then each jump off. We pause to gather our bearings and I watch as the train disappears into the evening, with Eric standing partially outside of the door watching me for as long as he can.

Four grabs both of our larger bags and hands me the smaller ones. "Max told me where to go, follow me, stay close ok?" He says and I nod. We walk for about 20 minutes, constantly monitoring our surroundings until we reach a small storage building. We walk inside and Four gestures towards a door that is mostly hidden in the wall. We open that and find stairs leading down to another door. Four knocks on this door, six times, then three, then two. The door opens and we're greeted by my father.

"Tris, Four please come in." My father steps to the side so we can enter. There is a long hallway that leads into a common room, which has the kitchen, a dining table and chairs, a sofa and a love seat. There are four closed doors off of this room. One of the doors opens and my mother comes out and immediately rushes to me, engulfing me in a hug.

"My sweet girl, you look beautiful. You've grown up, look at you." She says. "I love you so much."

"I love you too mom."

"Tobias, you are so handsome and filled out." She says while hugging him.

"Thank you Mrs. Prior." He says.

"You will call me Natalie. Let me show you to your room. We only have this one extra room, but it does have two beds. It's not ideal."

"I can take the couch." Four quickly replies.

"That's not necessary, there are two beds in here and we're adults. Mom, this room will be fine for Four and me. Thank you."

"Yes Natalie, this will be great, thank you." Four replies, while bringing our bags in and sitting them down.

"This room does have its own private bath. There's another bath off the main room, and another in between our bedroom and Marcus' bedroom. You are welcome to anything we have in the house."

"Thank you mom."

We head back into the living room and we are joined by my father and Marcus.

"Son, Beatrice, thank you for coming." Marcus says, nodding to us both. We return the gesture.

"Tomorrow you will be accompanying Andrew and me to work. We have a car that picks us up at 7:00 am. We have meals at the council building, and Natalie prepares dinner here." Marcus says.

"That sounds good." I reply.

"Have the guards reported any activity?" Four asks.

"Nothing. The threats were letters that were left on our desks. The guards haven't seen anyone suspicious entering or exiting the building, but we're also not convinced that there isn't inside help." My father replies.

"Do you have any suspicions?" I ask.

"None as yet." Marcus replies.

"Four and I will need access to the personnel files of all active employees in the council building."

"Certainly. They are all stored electronically and we will ensure you have the proper security access." Marcus replies.

"We've had two extra computer stations set up in our offices for you." My father says.

"Thank you." Four replies.

We continue going over plans for tomorrow until everyone is ready to retire for the night. We politely exchange goodnignts before heading to our room.

"Do you want to shower first?" Four asks.

"No, you go ahead. I'm going to call Eric."

He nods, grabs his bags and heads into the bathroom. I use my comm tablet to place a video conference call. Eric quickly picks up.

"Hey baby." He smiles. "You get settled in?"

"Yes, getting ready for bed now. How was the ride back to Dauntless?"

"Uneventful, although Max actually apologized to me for having to send you on this assignment with Four."

"Wow, that is unexpected."

Eric laughs. "Yeah a bit. How are your parents? Any issues with Marcus?"

"Good all things considered. Marcus has been on his best behavior." We continue to talk about the specifics of our assignment for tomorrow until the bathroom door opens and Four steps back into the bedroom. He's wearing sweatpants and a tshirt.

"Sorry to interrupt, I'll go out to the living room." He says, exiting the bedroom.

"He was in your room?" Eric asks.

"We're sharing a room, it has two beds." I take the tablet and walk around the room and bathroom so Eric can see everything.

He sighs. "Ok."

"Talk to me. Don't shut down. There's nothing to worry about, ok? He was going to take the couch, but I told him to stay in here since there are two beds."

"I know. My imagination is working overtime. It's just a room, no different than you being around each other here. Hell, it's probably safer since you're in a house full of stiffs." He grins.

"You are such an ass." I smile back at him. "I'm going to go shower and change. I love you Eric."

"I love you too. I'll call you tomorrow. Goodnight my love."

"Goodnight."


	11. There Will Be Blood

Chapter 11: There Will Be Blood

Tris POV

Our first couple of days have proven to be uneventful. Four and I poured over the personnel files, but found no red flags. There have been no new threats, and the additional guards have found nothing of interest.

It's been surprisingly quiet with Marcus as well. I have been in most of the one on one guarding assignments with him, but fortunately those have been infrequent. He's been pleasant enough, not stepping out of line with Four or me. Four has been able to spend a lot of time with my father and they have gotten to know each other better. I wish Eric could be here, I'd love for my parents to be able to get to know the real him and not just the ruthless leader that my father normally sees. My mom has been wonderful, she's asked so many questions about Eric and our relationship and I can tell she is genuinely interested in knowing more about him and the life we share.

I'd be lying if I said I haven't enjoyed this time with my parents. Faction before blood is something that is enforced rather strictly, so I am cherishing this time together that would typically be forbidden.

Today is the leadership meeting, and we will be shadowing Marcus and my father but acting in more of a guarding capacity, which means there will be additional Dauntless representation at the meeting. During a conversation with Eric last night, I learned that Max is still having a hard time relinquishing control at these meetings, and it's probable that Will and Max will be in attendance today. Eric was extremely frustrated, even though we've only been apart a couple of days it's been hard on both of us. Abnegation happens to be hosting the meeting, so Marcus, my parents, Four and I are at the council building earlier than normal to help set everything up. My mother typically volunteers to help when the meetings are held in Abnegation, and she refused to stay at the safe house so she has a Dauntless solider with her. We have a team of guards onsite as well, plus 6 additional Dauntless soldiers who have done sweeps on the building and are stationed at different spots throughout the council.

"Tris, Four, we are ready to call the meeting to order, will one of you be accompanying me to the corridor to make the announcement?" My father asks.

"Yes, I will Andrew." Four replies, and they head out the door. Marcus busied himself shuffling through some papers at the podium. I stand behind him, off to his left.

The other leaders start shuffling in, I look for Caleb but I'm disappointed to see Erudite represented by two members, neither of which are my brother. I scan the rest of the crowd and find Will easily, standing out in his sharp black uniform, and I'm happy to see him talking to his sister Cara, who is the main leader of Erudite. Johanna sees me and smiles easily, which I quickly reciprocate. Four walks back in, followed closely by my father and the final Dauntless leader... Eric. I have butterflies like it's the first time I ever saw him. He's deep in conversation with my father, but as soon as they break to find their assigned seats his eyes search for mine and he mouths "I love you" before sitting down and smiling at me.

Marcus begins by calling the meeting to order, and he takes some additional time to explain the additional Dauntless presence onsite, along with an explanation on how Four and I became personal guards for he and my father.

"Have there been any developments in the investigation?" Jack Kang asks. Marcus gestures for me to step forward to answer questions.

"Four and I have poured over personnel files and haven't found any red flags. There haven't been any more threats on Marcus or Andrew, and our guards have no additional activity to report thus far. We have performed daily sweeps of the council building and complex and found nothing unusual." I reply.

"How long will Dauntless provide the additional guards and security?" Cara asks.

"The additional guards are indefinite, as needed. Max committed one week for personal guarding." I reply.

Marcus steps up to the podium, next to me. "We would negotiate additional time as needed. We actually have a call in to Max already for this."

My eyes flit to Eric and I can tell by the look on his face that this is news to him as well.

"Were there any other questions for me?" I ask, hearing nothing else I step away from the podium and allow Marcus to continue.

My eyes wander back over to Eric and he's staring at me, but his expression is the usual hard glare that he shows to everyone but me. I then realize he's not looking at me, it's almost like he's looking through me. His mind is somewhere else.

Once Marcus has made the welcoming announcements, he returns to his seat and the meeting commences. Candor seems to be more uptight than usual regarding the increased guard presence needed in Abnegation, which leads to a rather spirited debate between Marcus, Eric and Jack. It's blatantly obvious that Jack Kang is flexing his muscles a bit, and looking for an argument this morning.

Finally, after several hours of Candor arguing about everything and anything, Marcus adjourns us for lunch. Four and I stick close to Marcus and my father, and Eric joins our group, slipping his hand in mine.

"I've missed you." He whispers to me, while kissing my cheek.

"I've missed you too. How'd you manage to talk Max out of coming to this meeting?" I ask.

"I had to do his paperwork all this week. It's worth it to see you." He smiles at me. Once we enter the dining hall, I scan the crowd looking for my mother, but do not see her. She's probably still in the kitchen. We quickly get food and find a table together and my mother soon joins us.

"You must be Eric, I'm Beatrice's mother Natalie. I've heard so much about you." My mother says to Eric with a nod.

"It's great to finally meet you Natalie. Tris has told me so much about you as well. Have you been comfortable in the safe house thus far?" He asks.

"Oh yes, it's been fine. The reasons we've been forced to stay there are quite unfortunate, however spending time with Beatrice and Tobias has been lovely. I'm just sorry that we have taken your wife from you."

"As much as I am missing Tris, I know the work she's doing is very important, and she's happy to spend time with you and Andrew, despite the circumstances." Eric replies.

"I understand you were also a young leader with Dauntless, and also instrumental in apprehending Jeanine. My daughter is extremely proud of you." She replies.

"Before Tris, I was the youngest leader appointed in Dauntless history. It's been a very rewarding job, and Max is a wonderful mentor. Tris has excelled in every part of training, and I am extremely proud of her. She continuously exceeds our expectations, and it's obvious that you and Andrew raised an extraordinary woman."

My mother blushes deeply. "Why thank you Eric. I just hope you will always take care of our daughter."

"You can count on that." He replies.

My mother smiles and continues her meal. Eric grabs my hand and kisses my knuckles, then my forehead before continuing with his meal. We're all talking amongst ourselves when a man stands up, walks towards us and starts shooting at our table. Four, Eric and I quickly shield Marcus and my parents while the guards rush to tackle the gunman. I see Eric and Four rush over to where the gunman is, while several other guards are quickly escorting my parents and Marcus away from the room. I try to get up to follow them, but I have a sharp and sudden pain in my side. When I put my hand on it, I feel warm sticky blood. I can hear people yelling around me, but they sound so far away. There's a woman kneeling over me, yelling for help while applying pressure to my side.

"Eric." I whisper. She leans down and places her ear next to my mouth. "Eric, Dauntless. Husband." I whisper. I can taste blood and I feel like I can't breathe. I hear the woman yelling for Eric. I close my heavy eyelids.

I can hear Eric, "Oh God. Tris, you stay with me. We're getting you help. Baby look at me, keep your eyes open. Tris, you don't leave me. Don't you dare go where I can't follow you..." I feel someone turning me on my side and I vomit, my mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood. "I love you so much Tris. You're going to be ok, you just fight. Don't you leave me..."

"I love you so much. I'm sorry I have to leave you. I'm so sorry. I didn't want to leave." I whisper.

"I love you so much Tris. You don't have anything to be sorry for. You're not leaving me. I love you baby."

"I can't feel...Eric I love you..."

Suddenly there's nothing.

 **Eric** **POV**

We are enjoying our meal and a nice conversation with Tris's parents when gunshots ring out. Tris, Four and I immediately cover Marcus, Natalie and Andrew and move them under the table. Before I can reach for my own weapon, I see a blur of Dauntless black tackling the gunman. Four and I rush to the gunman, and move to disarm him and secure his weapon while several guards move Marcus and Tris' parents to a safe place.

"What is your name?" I ask the man in grey.

He looks at me and laughs manically. "Is he dead?" He asks.

"Is who dead?" I ask.

"The evil one." He cackles.

This man has a blank face and dangerous eyes and he stares at me laughing. "Evil takes on many forms. Have you ever seen a wolf in sheeps clothing. I have." He throws his head back and alternates between screaming and laughing. "I didn't finish the job, but I started it!"

For a moment, all I want to do is pull my own weapon and shoot him point blank. I don't realize I'm reaching for my gun until I feel Four's hand on my arm.

"Don't." He says. I shake my head in an effort to shake these thoughts out of my mind.

"Eric. Is there someone named Eric from Dauntless?" I hear a woman screaming. I turn to look at her and the entire bottom of her dress is covered in blood. Four and I run to her then see Tris crumpled on the floor, bleeding heavily from a gunshot wound to her left side. I immediately fall to my knees beside her, rip my jacket off and use it to apply pressure to her wound.

"Four get help!" I yell and he immediately runs off.

"Oh God. Tris, you stay with me. We're getting you help. Baby look at me, keep your eyes open. Tris, you don't leave me. Don't you dare go where I can't follow you. Tris baby open your eyes" Shes gurgling blood and I'm afraid she's choking. I roll her to her right side and she immediately vomits blood. "I love you so much Tris. You're going to be ok, you just fight. Don't you leave me."

"I love you so much. I'm sorry I have to leave you. I'm so sorry. I didn't want to leave." She whispers, I can hear her choking on the blood.

"I love you so much Tris. You don't have anything to be sorry for. You're not leaving me. I love you baby."

"I can't feel...Eric I love you..."

"We have a car ready to go to Erudite. We have to move her now." Four yells. There's a man with him.

"I have medical training, I will be accompanying you. Come, follow me." I pick Tris up and run after the man. She's completely limp in my arms. When we get to the car, I quickly climb in back with Tris and the man who I followed. The driver takes off. The man is examining Tris, while using some sort of tool inside of her mouth.

"Is she breathing?" I ask the man.

"Yes. She's unconscious though. She has a pulse, it's weakened but it's steady. I'm working on keeping her airway clear. She's having a hard time breathing. My name is Daniel."

"I'm Eric, this is my wife Tris. Don't let her die."

"Keep applying pressure Eric, she's losing a lot of blood." He takes his robe off and helps me apply pressure.

"James, how much further?" He asks the driver.

"Less than 3 minutes." He replies.

"We've already called ahead and they have doctors waiting for our arrival." Daniel says to me. "Eric, she's still breathing, but I need you to keep pressure on her wound. Focus for me please."

"Tris, you're going to be ok baby. Don't you leave me. I love you." I repeat, while holding more pressure to her side. My jacket is soaked through, as is the bottom of my shirt and my pants where she's laying.

We pull up to the hospital and immediately a gurney is wheeled by the car. A team lifts Tris off of my lap and onto the gurney, rushing her through the doors. I run behind them, but am stopped.

"Sir, you can't go back there. We need to get her stabilized. Please sir, come with me." I can hear a woman talking to me but I want to go with my wife.

"Please don't let her die. Please. I need to go with her." I yell.

"Sir, please, if they're going to save her they need to be able to work on her. Is she your wife?" She asks.

"Yes. My wife. Tris." She's handing me tissues.

"Sir, why don't you come with me so we can get you some clean clothes?"

"No! I need my wife! Why aren't you in there working on her?" I roar.

I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Eric, let's get you cleaned up." It's Max.

"Max I need to see Tris."

"They need to work on her, and I need you to calm down. Yelling at everyone isn't going to help her. Come on, you need to clean up and change your clothes. This nice lady is going to help us. What's your name?"

"My name is Norma, I'm a volunteer. If you both will follow me, I'll show you where he can get cleaned up and I'll get him some scrubs." I finally look at the woman and see she's an older lady who reminds me of pictures I've seen of my grandmother.

"Norma when will someone tell me what's going on with Tris?"

"Soon, dear. I'm going to go check now. Here's the washroom, and here are your scrubs."

Max walks into the washroom with me. I look at my clothes and I'm covered in my wife's blood. "I don't know if she's alive Max."

"Let's get cleaned up, son. I'm going to help you, ok?"

"Yeah." I'm numb. I am going through the motions of taking my blood soaked clothes off. Max keeps handing me warm soapy wash clothes which I absentmindedly swipe across my body. Once in awhile he takes them from my hand and rinses them. I'm watching the blood wash down the sink. My wife's blood.

"Eric, go ahead and put these on." He's handing me blue scrubs. I robotically put the clothes on and put my boots back on. I'm staring at my soaked clothes that are currently in a pile on the floor.

"So much blood. Is she alive Max?"

"I'm going to throw these clothes away. Let's go find Norma." Max opens the door and I follow him out.

"Who's with the Prior's and Marcus?" Max asks someone. It's Four.

"Will, Zeke, Uriah and Christina. How is she?" Four asks.

"No word yet, I'm going to go find out. Stay with him." Max replies.

"I don't know if she's alive. So much blood." I say.

"Eric, come on, sit with me." I look up and see Four has tears in his eyes.

"Is she alive?" I ask.

"She's tough as nails, she's way too stubborn to leave you. Eric you gotta snap out of this, be strong for her. Your wife needs you." Four replies.

"I need her. I can't do this without her."

"She's gonna make it." He replies.

"Mr. Coulter?" A doctor in scrubs walks into the waiting room with Max on his heels.

"Yes, how is my wife?" I stand up.

"I'm Dr. Rivers, I'm one of the doctors caring for your wife. She's in surgery at the moment. She has a penetrating gunshot wound to her left side, it appears that the bullet may have gone through her large intestine and then lodged into her left lung. The goal of the surgery is to remove the bullet and repair the damage. With any type of trauma to the intestines, one fear is infection due to bowel leakage, so we will take care of that while she's in surgery. She's lost a lot of blood and we're giving her transfusions. Once she's out of surgery we'll have a better prognosis, but I wanted to keep you updated. Do you have any questions for me?"

"How long will the surgery take? Is she going to live?" I ask, trying not to break down.

"She'll likely be in surgery for several hours based on the damage we've seen. As I mentioned, Tris has lost a lot of blood, and her body has gone through a great deal of trauma. We'll need to assess all of the damage and repair as we can. We're going to do everything we can to save your wife. I need to get back, but we will continue to update you."

"Thank you." I reply. He nods as he walks away. I sit down with Max and Four on either side of me. I focus on my wedding band, twisting it around my finger.

"Her parents, are they ok?" I ask.

"Yes, physically unharmed. They're worried. I've been keeping Will informed." Max replies.

I stand up suddenly, alarming Four and Max. "Caleb. I need to find him."

"I'm on it, you two stay here." Max replies, gently leading me back to my seat before walking away.

"She loves you, you know?" Four says quietly. "I never had what you have with her. What you two have is real. It's special. She's not going to leave you."

"She's everything. I waited so long to have her. I can't let her go." I reply.

"She talked about you all the time when you two started working together. Every time I'd try to talk shit about you she'd defend you to the freaking moon and back. Man, I should have seen it coming." He chuckles.

"I gave up on her once, during initiation, for obvious reasons. I figured it'd be happily ever after for you two, the whole Abnegation thing and all."

Four smiles. "That girl is Dauntless through and through. She's my best friend. Took me awhile to see our relationship for what it really was. I didn't make her happy, the job made her happy. You were making her happy. I told her this same thing not too long ago. She and I were meant to be friends, we tried way too hard to be more because it's what was expected of us. The only two Abnegation transfers in decades who meet in Dauntless and find true love. It's just not how we worked."

"I never did thank you, for protecting her during stage two. I may have hated that you had her, but without you she would have easily been discovered. Jeanine was sick of me not performing, there's no telling what she would have done." I say.

"There's not much I wouldn't do for her. I really misjudged you about the whole Jeanine thing. God it was stupid, we had this bullshit rivalry ever since initiation and I would grasp at anything I could to hate you." He replies.

"It's in the past. We were both at fault. Our egos don't quite fit in the same room at times." I smile. "Thanks for being here man. I know you're here for Tris, but you're sitting here with me keeping my mind occupied. I appreciate it."

"I am here for her, but for you too. You're a good guy." He claps me on the shoulder.

"You too." I reply.

"I never thought I'd live to see you two bury the hatchet." Max says with a smile.

"Well it happened." I reply.

"It's a good look." Max replies. "Caleb is on his way. He obviously knew about what happened today, but he hadn't heard that Tris had been shot."

"I didn't see her. I never even looked back. How could I have missed that?" I reply.

"None of that Eric. You did what a trained soldier was to do. You protected your targets and then helped to neutralize the situation. Tris was protecting her target." Max replies.

"Tris jumped in front of Marcus. I think he is the target." I reply. "Has the shooter been questioned at Candor yet?"

"Not yet, Jack has it set up for tomorrow morning under truth serum. I plan on being there." Max replies.

"Do you know anyone who'd want your father dead?" Max asks Four.

"I'm sure the list is long. He's a despicable person." He replies. Max gives Four a strange look but doesn't press.

"Eric, how's Tris?" Caleb asks while approaching us. I give him the update from the doctor that we received earlier.

"So right now we wait." I reply.

"Are my parents ok?" He asks.

"Yes, we have them back at the safe house and heavily guarded." Four replies.

"And the shooter? What is the plan?" Caleb asks.

"He's going under the truth serum tomorrow morning at 9:00." Max replies.

"I'm going to be there for that." Caleb says.

Hours pass by and I can no longer sit still. There's no amount of small talk and comforting words that can distract me from the fact that my wife could very well be dying right now. She could be dead. They could be deciding which poor soul will have to come into this room and spew canned apologies about how hard they tried, and how her injuries were just too severe. I have my gun. If she dies, I die too. Why hasn't anyone come out to tell me what's going on? I stand up and start pacing, my mind is going a million miles a minute. I need to know she's ok. I can't imagine my life without her in it. I can hear Four talking to me but I have no idea what he's saying. He finally puts his hands on my arms and faces me, stopping my pacing.

"The doctor is here." He says.

"Mr. Coulter, I have an update about your wife. Would you prefer we go somewhere private?"

"No, we're all her family. Is she alive, please tell me she's alive." Four, Caleb and Max surround me.

"Your wife is a fighter Mr. Coulter. She's been through an extreme trauma, and she coded at one point needing to be resuscitated, but she is very much alive. We were able to remove the bullet from her lung, and repair the damage to the lung and her large intestine. We also were able to clean the bowel spilling that was caused by the damage to her intestine. Unfortunately, we had to remove her ovary and Fallopian tube on the left side, they were far too damaged and were beyond all means of repair. She's had several more blood transfusions and her vitals have improved. She's on a ventilator due to the trauma and damage to her lungs, and she'll be receiving several different IV antibiotics to ward off any infections. She's yet to regain consciousness, which isn't unusual based on the trauma she's suffered, however her vitals are stable." Dr. Rivers explains.

"Oh my god, she died at one point? Is she going to wake up?" I ask.

"She was down for several minutes, but we were able to resuscitate her successfully. We still need to monitor her closely for signs of infection, and keep a close eye on her vitals due to the extraordinary amount of blood loss. She's a fighter and I have every confidence that she will continue fighting. Our hope is that she will regain consciousness soon, ideally within the next 48 hours. You have to remember, her body has gone through a tremendous trauma, and the natural thing our bodies do during trauma is shut down to heal. She's going to be moved into the ICU, once we have her settled in I'll send someone to bring you back. The ICU waiting room is on the third floor if you'd like to move there. It's much more comfortable." He replies.

"Thank you doctor for saving my wife." I offer my hand and he shakes it.

"Like I said, she's a fighter. It's making my job easier." He replies before heading back.

I take a deep breath. Caleb claps me on my shoulder and says "She's going to make it. My sister never gives up." I nod and sit down, the stress of the day catching up with me. I can feel the tears I've been holding back finally breaking through. Caleb and Four take the chairs next to me, each offering silent support.

"I'm going to contact Will so he can update the Prior's." Max quietly says.

"Eric, you're welcome to stay at my apartment anytime, for as long as you need. They are very strict on visitation in the ICU here, no one can sleep overnight in the patient rooms. This is my extra key, and the apartment number is on the tag. You can come and go as you please, and you're welcome to anything there. I'll have the guest room ready for you." Caleb says.

"Caleb, thank you. I really appreciate this."

"Faction before blood be damned. We're family." He replies.

"Eric, do you need me to go by your place and get some of your stuff?" Four asks.

"That'd be great. You don't have to go now unless you want to." I reply. I actually want him to stay, and he seems to pick up on that.

"I'm not leaving yet. I'll stay as long as you need." He replies.

"Thanks man." I reply.

"Shall we head upstairs to the ICU waiting room?" Caleb asks.

"Yeah, let's go." I reply.

"I'll wait here for Max and meet you there." Four says.

Once Caleb and I find the ICU waiting room, we sit down and Caleb tries to get ahold of Will so that he can speak with his parents. I stand up and begin pacing again, willing my overstimulated brain to calm down. Four soon comes in.

"Max has gone to pack some of your things. He will be back later." Four says.

"I never thanked him. He's been great. He just showed up and started helping." I reply.

"Max is a great man." He replies. "How's he doing?" He gestures to where Caleb is sitting, quietly talking on the phone.

"Strong. He's calm, and using all of his available resources to research Tris's injuries and recovery time. You would think he's Erudite born." I reply.

"Tris always said the same thing about his Erudite tendencies, but she also said she was shocked he left Abnegation because of how selfless he is. Maybe he's divergent too."

"Maybe."

We are interrupted by another couple walking into the room. I turn to see someone I'd never expect: my parents.

"Eric, we came as soon as we heard. I'm so sorry." My mother says while reaching for a hug. "I know we've had some problems in the past, but under the circumstances I hope we can put that behind us. Your father and I love you."

"How is she?" My father asks in his no nonsense way.

I proceed to fill them in in everything we've been told so far. Caleb and Four help me to fill in any blanks and answer my parents questions.

"I apologize for being rude, Mother, Father I'd like you to meet Tris's brother Caleb, and this is Four he's Tris and my closest friend. These are my parents, David and Millicent Coulter." Everyone exchanges handshakes.

"Eric, we didn't even know you'd gotten married. When Cara told us everything that happened today we knew we needed to be here." My mother says.

"Tris and I have only been married for a little over a month. We actually eloped. I certainly wasn't hiding her, I just know how strongly you and father feel about faction before blood."

"That's understandable son. We know now, and we look forward to meeting her once she's feeling better." My father replies.

"Tell us more about Tris." My mother says.

"She's tough, smart, fearless, and beautiful. She's the best person I've ever known."

"How'd the two of you meet?" She asks.

"On the roof, on choosing day last year. She was the first initiate to jump. She surprised everyone, this girl from Abnegation not only transferred to Dauntless, but she was brave enough to be the first jumper not knowing what was at the bottom waiting for her." I smile at the memory. "From that day forward I had my eye on her."

"How long had the two of you dated before marrying?" She asks.

I pause, completely unsure how to answer this, my mother looks at me with her normal quizzical expression. She has the natural curiosity of an Erudite, and while her questions are expected I'm not prepared to explain the unusual circumstances in which Tris and I got married, nor do I care to explain that she was still living with Four when it happened. Four notices my hesitation and immediately jumps in.

"It was a couple of months after she joined leadership training. So probably a little over six months before they eloped, right Eric?" He replies. I'm shocked by his answers but I nod in agreement.

"Six months isn't a very long courtship, but I suppose Dauntless does things a little differently." My father says.

"Indeed we do." I reply.

"Have you thought about having children?" My mother asks.

"Tris and I have talked about it, we both want children but we're in no rush to start our family. We're still taking the time to enjoy being newlyweds." My mother smiles and nods in approval.

My parents begin talking to Caleb, and finally I can speak to Four out of their earshot.

"Thanks for what you said back there. Why'd you do it?" I ask.

"For all intents and purposes it was truthful. Tris had barely gotten through her first month of leadership training when our relationship just changed. I'd found Abby by then, and Tris was completely checked out emotionally. Not that you want to hear this, but the physical part had ended too, literally right before she started leadership training. It was like we were roommates, well roommates who were in a doomed relationship and could barely speak to each other. I know both of you have said nothing happened until she and I broke up and I believe you. But, I know Tris, and even though neither of you acted on anything I know she was in deep long before I let her go, as were you. Anyway, I figured your parents didn't need to hear any of the background nonsense." He replies.

"No, they didn't need to hear that. I owe you."

"Are you the family of Tris Coulter?" A nurse asks.

"Yes, we are." I reply.

"I can bring one person back at a time. Who's first?" She asks. I glance at Caleb and he nods.

"I am." I reply, she gestures for me to follow her.

She leads me to a room and quietly closes the door behind her. She checks on some of the machines that are hooked up to Tris.

Tris is lying in the bed motionless. She has so many machines hooked up, it's like nothing I've ever seen before. The ventilator for her to breathe, IV's, heart monitor, a blood pressure cuff, some sort of contraption on her finger, all kinds of tubes too.

"Can she hear me?" I ask.

"Yes, we believe so. She's not been responsive so far, but she's also coming off the anesthesia from her surgery. Talk to her like you normally would. It will help her to hear a familiar voice. Let me know if there's anything you need." She says before slipping out the door.

I walk over to the chair next to Tris' bed, scoot it close and gently take her hand in mine.

"I love you, so damn much. You come back to me baby." I can't stop the tears from coming anymore. I lay my head down on the bed next to Tris and cry.


	12. Awakenings

Chapter 12: Awakenings

Eric POV

It's been eight days. The doctors thought Tris would wake up within the first 48 hours. Every day it's been the same. I spend every minute they allow me to at the hospital by her side. When I'm not here, I'm at Caleb's. Lots of other visitors come and go, all of our friends rotate in and out of the room. My parents have both visited and Max and Dana visit or call every day. The most frequent visitors have been the Prior's, Caleb and Four. Caleb and Four have been my complete support system throughout everything, I seriously don't know how I would be functioning without them.

Somehow, almost losing Tris awakened something in Four, as a result he quickly spilled his feelings to Rayne and to his relief found that she felt the same way he did. She has accompanied him on some of his hospital visits, and I can tell she and Tris will be fast friends.

The Prior's were able to be moved from their safe house due to a strange twist in events. The day after the shooting, the gunman went on trial under truth serum. He revealed a truly sick and twisted plot that surprised everyone. The gunman was hired by Marcus Eaton himself, and the targets were Four and Tris. The elaborate scheme was put into place, and the "death threats" for Marcus and the Prior's were all a ruse to get Four and Tris away from Dauntless for an extended period of time so that Marcus' murderous plan could be completed. It took six days to find Marcus, but once he was captured he was taken to Candor and is scheduled for a trial tomorrow. Four made a full statement against his father regarding the years of abuse he endured, and has been asked to testify under truth serum as well tomorrow. I plan on being there, both to support my friend as he faces his demons, and to see the man who is responsible for my wife's current state held accountable for all of his crimes.

There were plans to wean Tris off of the ventilator that's been in place since her surgery, but she'd been unconscious and mostly unresponsive for eight days. Until today. Earlier this morning Dr. Rivers noticed some distress with the breathing tube. It appeared Tris was starting to fight it, which is actually a very good sign. It may mean that not only can she breathe on her own, but she is also starting to wake up. Andrew, Natalie, Caleb, Four and I are surrounding my wife's bed as her medical team makes their first attempt to find out if Tris can breathe on her own. Yesterday, it was clearly established through testing that Tris had full brain activity, so the hope today is that she is not dependent on the ventilator.

"This is gonna work." Caleb says.

I'm trying to share in his positivity. He's been almost fucking Amity with his positive thoughts and cheerfulness. I love him as a brother, but I want to punch him sometimes.

"Ok, what we're going to do is simply turn the ventilator off. We will give Tris approximately 60 seconds to begin breathing without the use of the ventilator. If she is successful, we would take the breathing tube out completely and replace it with an oxygen cannula. Are you ready?" Dr. Rivers asks.

We all look at each other and nod. I finally answer yes.

I hear them switch the machine off, and immediately miss the gentle whirring sound of the ventilator. We are all quiet and still, there's a nervous energy that I can feel buzzing around us. I'm watching Tris's chest, looking for any indication that she's breathing.

"Her chest is moving." I whisper.

"She's breathing. Her oxygen level is a little low at the moment, but I feel comfortable removing the breathing tube. You all may want to step out of the room for this part, it isn't pleasant." The doctor warns.

We all file out of the room and into the hallway.

"This is good. This is progress." Caleb says.

"It truly is." Natalie replies with tears in her eyes. Andrew places an arm around her, in a show of affection that is highly unusual for Abnegation.

"Hey, man this is huge. This is what you wanted." Four says to me. I nod in agreement.

I didn't even realize I was crying until Natalie hands me a tissue. "Thanks." I mumble and she places her arms around me and gives me a hug, another shock coming from someone in Abnegation, but it's very welcomed.

"Next step is waking up." Caleb says with a smile.

"Ok, we've removed the breathing tube and we've switched Tris to the oxygen cannula. You can all go back in for a bit, but please revert back to the two visitor limit soon." Dr. Rivers says to us.

"Thank you doctor." Four replies as we all file back into the room.

Removing the breathing tube makes a huge difference in how she looks. It makes me think she really is coming out of this. The doctors and nurses have been great, and our families and friends too, but the fact of the matter is my wife is in a coma and was dependent on machines. This is the first peek of a light at the end of the tunnel.

"She looks so good." I say, realizing I'm thinking out loud.

"She really does. She looks more like our sweet girl." Natalie replies.

Eventually, everyone leaves for work and other activities and I'm left alone with Tris. It's always the late evenings that we have our best shot at being alone. That's when I tell her about what she's been missing. I fill her in on how everyone's day has gone, all of the gossip I hear from Christina and everything that's been going on at Dauntless in our absence. It's almost like we're at home winding down after one of our busy work days. Almost.

Tonight, as I'm holding her hand and telling her about the training class and filling her in on the initiates progress report that Shauna shared with me, I feel a squeeze.

"Tris, can you hear me? Can you squeeze my hand again?" I get another squeeze, a little stronger this time.

"Holy shit." I press the call button and ask for a nurse immediately.

"Baby, I'm here. Can you do that again?" I get another brief squeeze.

"Hi Eric, what's going on?" A nurse that is always with Tris each shift she works named Phyllis asks.

"She's squeezing my hand. Watch. Tris honey, can you show Phyllis what you can do?" I feel her squeeze.

"Honey, I'm going to let your hand go so Phyllis can feel. You're going to love her, she's been your nurse everyday." I remove my hand from Tris's and Phyllis takes her hand.

"Tris love, can you squeeze my hand?" She asks and I can see Tris' hand move. Phyllis looks at me with a huge smile. "Tris, I'm going to let your hand go so you can have your husbands again. I'm going to page Dr. Rivers." She then turns her attention to me as she's walking out the door "Keep talking to her."

"Baby, you're doing so well. You keep squeezing me ok? As hard as you want. I love you so much." I say as she squeezes my hand harder. I can see her eyes moving rapidly under her eyelids. "Tris I'd love to see your beautiful eyes again. If you feel like opening them I'm right here." She squeezes my hand and I can see her eyelids moving.

"Eric, I understand Tris is responsive. Mind if I take a look?" Dr. Rivers asks as he enters the room. I drop her hand and he picks it up. "Hi Tris, this is Dr. Rivers, do you remember me?" She squeezes and he nods at me. "Tris you're doing great. Do you feel like opening your eyes?" We can both definitely see fluttering and movement behind her eyelids, and her lips begin to twitch. "That's great Tris, keep trying." He turns his attention to me. "There's a chance when her eyes first open that she won't be aware of her surroundings. Don't be alarmed. You can talk to her too, it'll help." I nod my head and take her other hand.

"Tris I'm right here. We want to see you so bad. Please open those beautiful eyes. I love you." She squeezes my hand and purses her lips in an O shape. Then suddenly her eyes flutter open. Her eyes dart all around the room as if she's scared. "Baby it's ok, I'm right here." She tries to focus her eyes and finally a look of realization comes over her.

"Eric." She rasps.

"Hey my love. I've missed you so much." I reply, and I can feel the tears falling.

"Thirsty." She whispers.

"Tris, we're going to bring you some sponges to wet your mouth. I'm Dr. Rivers and I sure am glad to finally meet you."

"Hi." She replies looking at him. She then looks at me. "I love you." She whispers in her raspy voice.

"I love you too, so much." I reply, kissing her forehead.

"Don't cry." She whispers.

"Baby these are happy tears, I promise you that." She raises her hand to try to wipe my face.

"Well hello there Tris. I'm Phyllis, one of your nurses. I'm so happy to see you. I have some ice water but we have to try the sponges first. I'm going to let your sweet husband do the honors." She hands me a cup of ice water with some sticks soaking inside. At the end of each stick, there is a small sponge. I put one on Tris's lips and she quickly drinks. "That's right, you're doing great. We just need to make sure you can swallow well." Phyllis replies with a smile.

"Throat sore." She rasps out.

"Tris, your throat is sore because earlier today we removed a breathing tube. It should start to feel better soon. Are you in pain anywhere else?" Dr. Rivers asks.

"Side hurts little." She whispers.

"That's to be expected, you had a major injury on that side. Do you need more pain medicine?" He asks.

"No. What happened?" She whispers.

"I'm going to give you the medical side of things, and the rest can be filled in by your husband, ok?" He replies and Tris nods. "Do you remember being hurt?"

She nods. "Someone shot me. Anyone else hurt?" She asks looking at me.

"Everyone else is fine." I reply.

"Tris, when you were shot the bullet entered on your left side. The trajectory caused some damage to your large intestine, ovary, Fallopian tube and eventually the bullet settled in your left lung. We performed surgery and removed the bullet, repaired your lung and large intestine and unfortunately we had to remove the damaged ovary and Fallopian tube."

Tris looks panicked. "Will we have babies?" She whispers.

"Yes Tris, you still have your right ovary and Fallopian tube. Everything else is intact. During the surgery you received multiple blood transfusions. You lost a significant amount of blood and your body went through a major trauma. You are a lucky woman, Tris. A lot of people wouldn't survive what you just did."

"How long have I been here?" She rasps.

"Eight days." He answers. Her eyes widen.

"Is there anything you need Tris?" Phyllis asks.

"Hungry." She says.

"We will get you something to eat. It's going to be soft foods at first ok? We need to make sure you can tolerate food before getting you back into a normal diet. Any special requests?"

"Ice cream." She whispers.

"We can certainly do that." Phyllis answers. "What flavor? We have the usual vanilla, chocolate and strawberry."

"Chocolate." She replies and smiles.

"You got it, I'll be right back."

"Tris, I'm just going to examine you quickly, ok?" Dr. Rivers asks and she nods. She looks over at me and smiles.

"Hey Eric, just wanted to stop in to see if you needed anything before... Holy shit you're awake!" Four exclaims.

"Hi" she smiles.

"And talking. Oh my god. You're back. We've missed you." He replies.

"Ok Tris, you're looking great. It looks like Phyllis has brought your ice cream back. I'll be in to check on you again soon." Dr. Rivers says. "Do you have any questions?" We all answer no and he leaves the room.

"When? How?" Four asks me while grabbing Tris' free hand.

"Literally within the past 30 minutes or so. It's amazing." I reply.

"Ice cream." Tris whispers.

"Yes, baby, I'm sorry. I'm working on it." I open the container and begin feeding spoonfuls to her.

"I've literally never been so fucking happy to see someone in my life Tris. You scared the hell out of us. I'm so glad you're ok." Four says.

"I'm ok." She whispers. "What happened?"

"Before I explain, Four do you mind calling Caleb and the Prior's?" I ask

"On it." He kisses Tris on the forehead and steps into the hall to make his calls.

"I love you so much. Was so afraid I'd never see you." She whispers tears in her eyes.

I bend down and kiss her cheeks, nose, forehead then lips. "No crying. You're here. You were never going to leave me. I love you." She puts her hand on my cheek and I lean into it. "Tris, I know you want to know what happened, and I don't want to keep anything from you. I just want to be sure you're prepared to hear everything. Your family is fine, your friends are all fine, but hearing everything that's transpired since the shooting may be overwhelming. Are you sure you're ready to hear it?" I ask.

She nods her head indicating yes.

"They put the gunman on trial at Candor, and under truth serum he admitted he'd been hired by Marcus Eaton to kill Four and you. Marcus cooked this elaborate scheme up under the ruse of he and your parents receiving death threats. The gunman was factionless, and Marcus provided him clothing and access to the council building. The gunman was found guilty and executed for his crime. Marcus fled, but was captured two days ago and is scheduled to go on trial under truth serum tomorrow. Also, Four made a complete report about Marcus' abuse. He wanted to be sure that Marcus answered for all of his crimes. Four is scheduled to testify under truth serum tomorrow too."

I can see several emotions on her face, but she steels herself before speaking again.

"Are my parents ok? Caleb?" She asks.

"Yes, they're fine. No one else was hurt during the shooting. Are you ok?" I ask.

"Glad it's almost over. Happy to be alive."

"Me too. You have no idea." I reply, kissing her hand.

"Caleb and your parents have been informed and they are over the moon. They've decided to wait until morning to see you, since we are technically here past visiting hours. I also called Chris, Zeke and Uri. Oh and Max ofcourse. Everyone is so happy." Four says, then he looks at me. "Oh and Caleb says dinner is in the oven on warm."

"Caleb feeds you?" Tris asks.

"Yeah, I've been staying with him ever since you were brought here, Four stays there sometime too. They don't allow anyone to sleep in the ICU rooms. Your brother has been great, Tris. Four too. They've taken really good care of me. All of our friends have been in to visit, your parents have been here every day. You even got my parents speaking to me again, they've visited several times." I say.

Tris smiles wide. "That's great. So glad to hear everyone's getting along." She replies.

"You do amazing things Mrs. Coulter." I reply with a smile.

"Tired. Don't want you to go." She replies.

"I'll stay until you fall asleep babe. Get some rest. I love you."

"I love you too." She replies to me. "Four thank you for being here and taking care of him."

"No thanks needed. Get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." He replies. "Eric, try to get some sleep bud, I think I'm going to head to Caleb's for a bit. Goodnight to you both."

"Your hair." She says to me.

"Yeah, I need a haircut, some gel and a shave." I chuckle. She pats the spot next to our hands. I quirk my eyebrow at her.

"I wanna feel your hair." She explains. I lay my head down in the spot she was patting and she starts to run her fingers through my messy curls.

"I missed you so much." I say to her.

"Me too. I like your beard. It's sexy." She replies sleepily. I chuckle.

"I may have to skip that shave then." I reply. I hear a soft "Mmmhmmm" from Tris.

We both must have fallen asleep because I'm awoken by a light tap on my shoulder. I blink my eyes open and see Nurse Phyllis.

"I hated to wake you, but it's time for shift change and I know they won't be pleased that I let you stay so late." She whispers. She helps move Tris' hand from my hair and thankfully she doesn't wake up.

"Thank you for letting me stay. I'll be back tomorrow, are you working?"

"Yes, same shift. Goodnight Eric."

"Goodnight."

When I get to Caleb's apartment, I find Four crashed out on the couch. I can honestly say that any residual jealousy or worries I had in regards to him were completely washed away by this experience. He's been a great friend to me, and all of our bullshit fighting and competitiveness is done. Our personalities are quite similar, and we now realize that we severely misjudged each other from pretty much the moment we met over three years ago.

I grab my dinner from the oven and turn it off. Caleb has been great in his attempts to keep me fed, although I haven't been doing much eating or sleeping lately. After the great night I've had, I find that I'm both hungry and tired. I quickly eat my dinner, take a short shower and go to bed. For the first time all week, sleep comes easily.

I wake up early, the sun barely peeking on the horizon. I decide to head to the hospital to spend as much time with Tris as I can before the trial starts. Once I'm in the living room, I see Four lacing up his boots.

"I was just about to wake you. Jack called, the trial is being moved up. They found escape plans in Marcus' cell during a sweep. They're starting the trial at 8:00." Four says.

"Does Caleb know?" I ask.

"Yes, he went to pick up his parents and get them to the hospital. Natalie plans on staying there with Tris as long as you need." He replies. "Eat. Get some coffee. Come on." He gestures towards the kitchen where he's made oatmeal and a pot of coffee.

We eat, get on the train and arrive at Candor with 20 minutes to spare. We immediately are led to Jack Kang's office.

"Good morning gentlemen, thank you again for meeting here with such short notice. We felt it was imperative to complete Marcus's trial given the escape plans that were found in his possession. How is Tris?"

"She's awake and alert. She's doing really well." I reply.

"That's excellent news. Four, if you're ready we can start with your testimony. Please, follow me gentlemen." Jack says.

We're led into the main conference room in Candor where they hold the largest trials. "Damn. I was hoping that there wouldn't be so many people here." Four sighs.

"You've got this. You've waited almost 22 years to bring that bastard down. He deserves to have the entire city know how despicable he is." I reply.

I take a seat in the front row while Jack leads Four to a stage area. I look around and see Max and Will sitting next to Will's sister Cara from Erudite, Johanna Reyes and several other Amity representatives with her, along with mostly everyone from the Abnegation council. I hear the sound of chains and see Marcus being escorted to the room, heavily shackled and guarded with armed Dauntless soldiers. He is then chained to a table and chair in the prisoner holding area. He glares at me.

Caleb and Andrew soon sit next to me.

"Sorry for being late, I lost track of time with Tris. It was great to see her." Caleb says.

"How is she this morning?" I ask.

"She's great. She's already been eating and drinking this morning. They even let her take a shower, which you'd think was the highlight of her day based on how excited she was. Other than a little muscle soreness, she's not showing any ill effects from the injury or being in bed for so long. They also plan on moving her from ICU to one of the normal rooms. She tried, very hard I might add, to convince the doctors to allow her to come here. I had to appease her by allowing her to watch the trial on the live stream from my tablet." Andrew replies with a smile, shaking his head.

"Oh wow, that's great progress. I can imagine she's already giving them hell. She's watching? I hope this isn't too much for her." I reply.

"She insisted, and mother is there with her. Christina and Uriah were there too, and planning on staying." Caleb replies.

Jack Kang begins speaking. "Good morning. Today you will witness the trial of Marcus Eaton. Mr. Eaton has been accused of murder for hire, attempted murder, and of assault and battery of a minor child. We will begin today's proceedings with our first witness." Four is shown to a chair in the middle of the stage, Marcus watches his son with a look of disgust. We watch as they inject the serum into Four's neck. After several seconds, his expression changes.

"Please state your name for the record." Jack says.

"Tobias Eaton, I prefer to be called Four."

"Four, what is your faction of birth?"

"Abnegation."

"What is your current faction?"

"Dauntless."

"What is your relationship with Marcus Eaton?"

"Relationship?" He scoffs "that man is nothing to me. By your law he's listed as my father."

"Have there been any incidents of abuse of any type between Marcus Eaton and yourself?"

"Yes."

"Please explain."

Four shifts uncomfortably and is sweating.

"Four, resisting the serum will cause pain." Jack warns. Four glances over to where Marcus is being held and then to where Caleb and I are sitting.

"He started beating me when my mother died, I was 9 years old. His favorite was to use his belt and whip my back, legs and buttocks. He'd also use his hands to slap or punch me, and he'd sometimes choke me until I passed out. He'd often lock me in a closet, sometimes for days, without food or water. I'd often have to sit in my own waste."

There are audible gasps and cries from many of the spectators. Jack holds his hand up in an effort to quiet the crowd and Four seems to be willing himself not to break down.

"How long did this abuse go on?"

"Until I was 18 and left Abnegation." The crowd gasps and murmurs.

"Quiet please!" Jack shouts. "Are you aware of anyone else Marcus has abused or assaulted?"

"Yes, Evelyn Johnson Eaton and Tris Coulter."

"What is your relationship with Evelyn Johnson Eaton?"

"She was my mother."

"And your relationship with Tris Coulter?"

"She's a fellow Dauntless leader and also my best friend."

"Did you witness the abuse of your mother?"

"I remember seeing him slap her, but mostly it was what I heard. He'd lock me in the closet when they fought."

"Did you witness the abuse of Tris Coulter?"

"No. He attacked her in the hallway here at a previous leadership meeting. She told us about the abuse after it happened, and she had visible bruises. Her brother Caleb found Marcus being rough with her."

"What prompted the alleged abuse of Tris Coulter at Marcus Eaton's hand?"

"He was angry that she stood up to him, she insinuated in front of other people that he had been abusive to me."

"Did Tris Coulter know of the alleged abuse?"

"Yes, I had taken her through my fear landscape during Dauntless initiation. Marcus shows up as my biggest fear and it's because of the abuse. She and I have also had several conversations about it."

"Were you aware of any plans that Marcus Eaton had to hurt Tris Coulter or you?"

"No. I only heard of his plans after the trial of the gunman."

"You brought up the gunman, were you present when the shooting occurred?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell us what happened?"

"We were at the leadership meeting in Abnegation. Tris and I had been tasked with personally guarding Marcus Eaton and Andrew Prior due to both men receiving death threats. During the lunch break, we were eating together in the dining hall. I was sitting at a table beside Natalie Prior, and on her other side was Andrew Prior. Tris and Eric Coulter were sitting across from us, and next to Marcus Eaton. During the meal, a man stood up and started walking towards our table, shooting. Eric and I shielded the Prior's and Tris shielded Marcus, we moved everyone under the table. Some of the guards came in and tackled the gunman to the ground, and Eric and I went towards the gunman to disarm and neutralize the threat."

"Was anyone injured during this incident?"

"Yes, Tris was shot. We didn't know it at first, but there was a woman whose robes were soaked with blood screaming for Eric. We ran towards the woman and found Tris on the ground, bleeding from a gunshot wound."

"Four, this is a question we ask everyone. What is your biggest regret?"

He's starting to struggle again for an answer, his face a mask of pain. He finally whispers "Tris." I sit forward in my chair, trying to hear what he's saying.

"I'm sorry Four, you'll need to speak up and stop fighting the serum."

He looks over to where Andrew, Caleb and I are sitting. "My biggest regret is misleading Tris. I wanted to love her the way she deserved and I didn't. I refused to let her go because even though I didn't want a relationship with her, I also didn't want anyone else to have her. She was comfortable, and I used her. She's never been more than a friend to me, I lied to her and told her otherwise. I prevented her from being with someone that I knew she loved."

"Thank you for your honesty." Jack replies and the crowd repeats it.

Four gets up and quickly walks off the stage.

"We will take a brief recess and then continue with testimony. Please reconvene in 20 minutes." Jack announced to the crowd.

"All these years I've worked with that man and had no idea what he put Tobias through. Marcus was more than a coworker, he was a friend of mine and he shared meals with my family. I'm disgusted by what I just heard." Andrew says, clearly upset.

"Four was in my initiation class, and no one knew why he was so closed off. I've known him for almost three years, and in that time the only person he truly opened up to was Tris. He's extremely good at hiding his emotions." I reply.

"Does my daughter know about what he said was his biggest regret?" Andrew asks.

"She and Four came to a mutual conclusion regarding their relationship, and its demise. What Four said is likely something they have talked about between themselves already privately, but it might upset her that it got brought out in public."

Andrew nods. "I can imagine. She's fortunate to have you."

"It's truly the other way around." I reply, Andrew smiles.

Four walks over to where we are sitting. "Hey." He says.

"You did really well son. We're all proud of you." Andrew says.

"I agree, it takes a lot of courage to do what you just did." I reply.

"It was hard, but it also needed to come out. I hate that bastard. I'm sorry about you all having to hear that last thing about Tris."

"Tobias, you are a fine young man. You and Beatrice were young, and both being raised in Abnegation gave you common ground to begin a friendship. You have nothing to apologize to us for." Andrew replies.

"Your relationship with my sister obviously didn't work out and wasn't meant to. I will say, I'm not pleased to hear that you lied to and used her, but it's not my place to judge you. Whatever transpired between the two of you is not our concern, and if Beatrice has found it in her heart to forgive you, why shouldn't we?" Caleb replies.

"Um, yeah, what they said." I reply with a small smile.

"Well at least you finally know I'm not trying to steal your wife." He says with a nervous chuckle.

"Good to know." I reply with a smile. "You did good today, really. Don't worry about the small stuff. Tris might not be happy that your relationship issues came out in public, but what you said is something she's known and accepted already. Like Caleb said, that's between you and her."

Jack calls the room to order. "Testimony will continue." They do not move Marcus from where he's chained, instead they administer the truth serum where he's currently sitting.

"Please state your name for the record."

"Marcus Eaton."

"What is your faction of birth?"

"Abnegation."

"What is your current faction?"

"Abnegation."

"Marcus, did you willingly assault your son, Tobias Eaton?"

Marcus is fighting the serum, and struggling mightily.

"I will give you the same warning. Fighting the serum will cause extreme pain."

"Yes." The crowd breaks into loud gasps and noises.

"Order!" Jack yells and the crowd silences.

"Marcus, did you willingly assault your wife, Evelyn Eaton?"

The pain and struggle on his is face is evident. "Yes."

"Marcus, did you conspire to have Tobias Eaton and Tris Coulter murdered?"

"Yes." The crowd breaks into loud shouts, including from Caleb, Four and me.

"Quiet!" Jack yells again. "Any more outbursts and we will close this trial to the public."

"Marcus, what did you do to conspire to have Tobias and Tris murdered?"

"I met a factionless man who desperately wanted to live in a faction. I offered to smuggle him into Abnegation and integrate him into our community in exchange for him killing my worthless son and that tramp he was having relations with. I created death threats against myself and Andrew Prior and asked Dauntless to provide security and guarding. I specifically requested my son and Beatrice as personal guards. I got the man into our council building during the leadership meeting, and provided him with the weapon and a description of his targets." He says angrily.

"Why would you want your own son and his friend dead?"

"They knew too much. If they started talking, I'd lose everything I worked so hard for."

"Marcus, what is your biggest regret?"

"Fathering that worthless, traitorous boy." He spits staring directly at Four with anger and disgust written across his face. The crowd erupts in shouts and we have to physically restrain Four from attacking Marcus. Once order is restored, Jack continues.

"Marcus Eaton, you are guilty of the crimes of murder for hire, attempted murder and assault of a minor child. The faction leaders will discuss the proper sentence for your crimes. We will return a sentence before the end of the business day tomorrow. Everyone is dismissed."

"You know what this means, right?" I ask Four.

Four nods, but doesn't speak.

"What does it mean?" Caleb asks.

"All of the leaders will have to vote to either execute him, or wipe his memory with memory serum and make him factionless. If execution is chosen, which given his crimes I believe it likely will be, Dauntless carries it out." Andrew replies.

"All five Dauntless leaders get a gun and pull the trigger at the same time. Only one is loaded." I reply.

Realization passes across Caleb's features. Four will not only have to cast a vote for his father's fate, he may also be the one who ends his life.


	13. Breaking Free

**Thank you all for the reviews. I wish I had time to respond personally to each one. It really makes my day to read them.**

Chapter 13: Breaking Free

Tris POV

"Are you ok?" Christina asks me, her face full of concern. Tobias has just finished his testimony and it was awful to watch. He's notoriously private, much like Eric, and seeing him have to strip himself raw in front of a crowd of people makes my heart break for him.

"Yes. I just worry about Four. That was terrible to watch." I reply.

"I had no idea he went through all of that." Uriah says. "Until he brought it up at Chris and Will's party."

"His father is a monster." I reply.

"That last thing about his regrets, are you ok Tris?" Chris asks.

"It was something that he and I discussed ourselves, although not quite that bluntly. I wish it wasn't made public knowledge though. I'd known for a long time that Four didn't really love me, not in a relationship way. He viewed me as someone who was weak and needed his help. You all saw that as soon as I stepped out from his shadow and joined leadership it was the end of our relationship. So, hearing that today doesn't bother me, if anything it's almost healing to know that he considers the way he treated me his biggest regret. I thought I loved Tobias, and in our own way we loved each other, but as nothing more than a deep bonded friendship. I don't want what he said to change any of your opinions of him. He and I just didn't know what was expected of an adult relationship because of our Abnegation teachings. Once we did figure it out, we realized what we wanted was not what we had together. "

"Beatrice that is a very mature way of looking at it." My mom replies.

"Thank you. He's always going to be my friend, one of my best friends really. I don't regret getting involved with him at all. My only regret was trying to force it to be more than it was, and staying with him for so long trying to fix something that was irrevocably broken. I missed out on a lot of time with Eric because of my stubbornness."

"Tris I think your coma made you wiser." Uri jokes with a wide grin. "You just woke up yesterday and today you sound so smart."

"That's because she's married to a Nose." Chris laughs.

"So are you!" I reply.

"A Nose?" My mother asks.

"Oh, I'm sorry Mrs. Prior. We shouldn't have said that. A Nose is a term we use for Erudite's. My husband Will and Eric are both transfers from Erudite." Chris replies sheepishly.

"Oh, I see. Well I am married to a Nose then too." My mom chuckles. We all laugh.

"Tris your dad is Erudite?" Uriah asks.

"He was born there, yes." I reply.

"Mrs. Prior, are we allowed to ask if you were a transfer too?" Christina asks.

"Please, call me Natalie. Although we typically don't discuss our factions of origin, I don't mind telling you all. I was born in Dauntless." She smiles at her admission.

The look of shock on Uri and Chris' faces is priceless. "Tris is an Abnegation born child of an Erudite and a Dauntless. That's incredible. Think about what your kids are going to be like." Uri replies with a huge smile.

"With Eric and Tris as parents, they are destined to be badass child prodigies!" Chris exclaims with a laugh. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Natalie, I have such a potty mouth."

My mom laughs. "It's alright. I quite like the idea of badass child prodigy grandchildren."

"Your mom is so cool Tris!" Uri says with a smile. "She wants her badass grandkids so you better get on it."

"One thing at a time. It was only yesterday that they removed tubes that made me breathe, fed me and allowed me to urinate. I may need a day or two longer before we work on grandkids." We all laugh.

"You're so lucky your mom is here, or else Chris would have a field day with that comment." Uri replies and Chris blushes.

"Chris, I don't think I've ever seen you quite so flushed." I chuckle and she scowls at me.

Marcus' testimony starts and we all gather around the tablet to watch. We listen as Marcus is forced to admit his plans to have Four and me killed. It's eerily silent in the room, I think we are all too shocked to speak. My mom is absentmindedly stroking my hair, but I can tell by the look on her face she is in need of just as much comforting as me. I reach for her hand and entwine our fingers, she squeezes my hand without hesitance.

"That was rough." Uriah says. "How can someone want to kill their own kid? And you? He's disgusting."

"He's more than disgusting. He called Four his biggest regret. He doesn't regret abusing his own child and wife, or bribing someone to murder his own child, he regrets ever having him." I say.

"Tobias is going to need all of you now more than ever. The words that his father just spoke to him and about him could do more damage to him than his belt ever did." My mother replies.

"I can't imagine what Four's going through right now. I'm glad he's got your dad, Caleb and Eric there with him today." Chris says.

"Andrew is very fond of Tobias. He feels terrible that he was poisoned for so long by Marcus into believing that Tobias was nothing more than a traitor to his faction. I hope that Tobias knows he can turn to Andrew or me if there is anything he needs." My mom says.

"I know that means a lot to him." I reply with a yawn.

"My sweet girl, you've had a busy morning. You can close your eyes." My mom says while kissing my forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too." I reply before closing my eyes.

When I wake up I'm in a whole different room and my husband is reading in a chair next to my bed.

"Hey sleepyhead." He smiles.

"I can't believe they moved me into a different room and I slept through it. How long have you been here?"

"A few hours. At least I have a relatively comfortable chair now." He grins as he grabs my hand and kisses my knuckles.

"I have a relatively comfy bed that I don't mind sharing." I reply. I scoot over and pat my bed. Eric crawls into bed next to me, carefully avoiding my left side. I snuggle up to him and lay my head on his chest.

"I've missed this." He sighs. "For a little while I wasn't sure if I'd ever get to hold you again."

"I'm not going anywhere. I never want to leave you again." I reply.

"I don't think I'll let you." He replies while twirling the ends of my hair around his fingers.

"What's going on with the initiates?" I ask.

"Stage one is almost over, Shauna says she thinks Daisy and Michael are going to be cut."

"I'm still surprised Daisy transferred, she doesn't have a mean bone in her body. She and Rayne are such opposites, but the best of friends. Speaking of Rayne, did you know Four talked to her every night we were in Abnegation?" I ask.

"I actually did know that, you'll be proud to know I've done my best to keep up with all the gossip. I would fill you in every evening." I can feel his chuckle through his chest. "He's also talked to her every night he's been here in Erudite, and I'm glad you're sitting down for this part - they are finally a couple."

"You and gossip. A lot has changed in nine days. And it's about damn time they got together. She's going to be good for him. So, I was thinking, how about when we get home we get those tattoos we talked about?" I pause to gauge his reaction.

"You mean our wedding bands?" He asks.

"Yes." I look up at him and smile.

"I'd love that. Does this mean I've passed your initiation and you'd like to make this "experiment" as Max calls it a permanent deal?" He smiles down at me.

"I suppose. You are pretty freaking extraordinary. And extremely handsome. Especially with this beard you've got going on." I reach up and lightly scratch his bearded cheek.

He's quiet, but gently rubbing his hand up and down my left arm.

"I love you babe. You make me so fucking happy." He says, his voice breaking a bit. I glance up at him and see a tear rolling down his cheek. I reach up and wipe it away.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Tris, when you were shot all I could think about was what would happen if I lost you. It scared the hell out of me. You are the most important thing in my life. You started changing me the minute you stepped off that ledge and jumped into the net. I noticed you, not just because you were beautiful but because you were brave. Every day in training I saw how determined you were. I've wanted you for so long. I started making decisions with the hope that one day the life I was building would include you by my side. I just can't imagine a life without you in it. I was scared. I thought the doctors were going to come into that waiting room and tell me you were dead. Then when you didn't wake up, fuck, I just didn't know what was happening. I can't lose you."

I'm shedding my own silent tears at his confession. My husband has always been one of the most feared men in Dauntless. The first impression anyone gets of him is intimidation, my own first impression of him was he was the coldest person I'd ever seen. While I was wildly attracted to him when I first saw him, his cold demeanor was so offputting that I immediately avoided any type of interaction with him. He commands any situation he's in, his presence alone can unnerve the steadiest of soldiers and he carries himself in a way that demands respect. When you think of Dauntless, you think of Eric. No one sees the side of him that I do. Behind the cold, ruthless and tough as nails persona is a young man with insecurities, who has always felt like he was second best. He doesn't open himself up because he has a deep fear of rejection and failure. He is a master of hiding his insecurities behind the walls he's carefully built, and from the first moment I was able to see him as something more than our youngest and most ruthless leader I was determined to tear those walls down.

"I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt, that I never want to be in a place where you're not by my side. When I was shot, all I could think about was getting back to you. I heard your voice, when you'd tell me how much you loved me, or when you'd cry because you thought I'd never wake up. The best day of my life was when you told me you loved me that first time. You have no idea how important you are to me. I can promise you that I will never intentionally leave you Eric. You are as essential to me as the air I breathe. For as long as I live I will be by your side."

"I love you so much Tris."

"I love you too." I reply.

We lay together quietly just holding each other. Eric's breathing evens out and after a bit I hear his soft snores. I listen to him breathing until I too fall asleep.

I'm awoken by a sharp knock on the door. I look up and see Max, Will and Four come in.

"Tris, I'm so sorry to wake you." Max says. I feel Eric stretching beside me.

"It's ok Max, I've been sleeping most of the day. It's good to see you all." I reply.

"It's great to see you awake. You are one tough cookie. I wish I could say this was purely a social call, but there is one order of business we need to take care of. We need to discuss our faction vote for Marcus Eaton's sentencing." Max replies.

I can feel Eric sigh. "What are our official options Max?" He asks.

"Memory wipe and living factionless or death." He replies. "I've spoken with Johanna, Cara, Jack and Andrew already and have a good idea on how each of their factions are leaning. Amity and Abnegation are both leaning toward the memory wipe. Andrew said there is a pretty fierce argument still going on within their council, so the decision is still up in the air. Johanna says Amity is practically locked, which isn't a big surprise, they rarely vote for execution. Cara also indicated that Erudite is locked for voting for an execution. Jack believes Candor will also vote for an execution."

"Does this make us the deciding vote?" I ask.

"Potentially." He replies.

"I want him dead." Four says quietly. I look at Will and Max and their reaction feels like a reflection of my own: stunned. "He tried to kill us. He almost succeeded. I can't forget that."

"Are you sure this is what you want? I will vote with you, whatever you decide." Max replies.

"I will too." Will says.

"Four, you have the final say. I stand by you." Eric replies.

"I will do whatever you want. If this is a decision you want to make I'll support it." I say.

"Thank you all. My decision is to vote for an execution." Four replies resolutely.

"Then it's settled. I'll let Jack know." Max says.

We continue with lighter topics, as well as Max and Will filling me in on things I've missed. I very much enjoy this part of the visit, even though it's more in line with one of our staff meetings. Once I start yawning our visitors decide to call it a night.

"Goodnignt Tris, Eric I will call you tomorrow." Max says.

Will hugs me and says his goodbyes as well. Max and Will walk out into the hall while Four lingers for a bit.

"Tris, I'm sorry..." He begins but I cut him off.

"Tobias, whatever you're about to apologize for is in the past already. Our friendship is important, and all I want to do is look forward, ok?"

"Ok." He agrees with a slight smile.

"Are you ok with everything?" I ask, not having to explain what "everything" is.

"Yes. No. I don't know." He sighs. "I will be, though. I'm going to go, I'll come by tomorrow ok?" He asks.

"Sounds good." I reply. He leans over and kisses my forehead.

"Where's mine?" Eric jokes, Four laughs and plucks Eric in the forehead.

"Goodnight Coulter's" he says as he walks out the door.

"You're not leaving are you?" I ask Eric.

"Nope. But would it be more comfortable if I moved to the chair?" He asks.

"If you move, I'll cut you." I reply. "As you have seen, I am quite deadly with knives."

"Indeed you are." He chuckles. "Get some rest. I'll be right here beside you." He kisses me on the top of my head and I can feel my body relax. "I love you."

"I love you too Eric."

 **Eric POV**

The next morning I'm awoken by the buzz of my phone ringing. Tris is stirring beside me.

"Hello?" I answer, seeing the caller is Max.

"Eric, sorry for the early call. I just got off the phone with Jack. The vote was unanimous, his sentence is execution."

"Shit, even Amity voted for that?" I ask. I see Tris looking at me with a questioning expression. "Max, I'm going to put you on speaker so Tris can hear this. Ok go ahead."

"Yes, unanimous vote for execution, including Amity and Abnegation. Also, Andrew Prior has been voted as head of council by Abnegation as well. Another unanimous vote." Max replies.

"Andrew is fair, that's a good vote. When will the execution take place?" I ask.

"Since Marcus is a flight risk they want the execution carried out today." he replies.

"Today? I need to see if I can leave..." Tris begins.

"Tris, you need to stay as along as the doctors recommend. You were shot ten days ago, you've only been awake for two." I reply.

"Eric's right Tris, you have no idea what your body went through." Max agrees.

"You don't understand, the reason I went through any of this is because of that man. I need to be there. For myself and for Tobias as well. You have to at least let me try." She pleads.

"Max, what time is the execution scheduled?" I ask.

"3:00." He replies.

"Fine. We will talk to your doctors, together, and if they are against you leaving this hospital then you stay put. That's as far as I'm willing to compromise Tris. I will not risk your health." I say to Tris.

"If there's even a small chance of them letting me go I'm going. They have to tell me a flat out no for me to stay." She replies with a hard tone.

"I'm going to let the two of you sort this out. Eric, be at Candor by 2:15." Max replies and we exchange goodbyes.

"We are not getting into an argument about this Eric. Please. Let's just get Dr. Rivers in here so we can talk about it."

"I'm going to the nurses station, I'll be right back." I reply giving her a quick kiss.

I return to the room after asking the nurses to page Dr. Rivers. Tris is out of bed looking out the window.

"I could have helped you if you wanted to get up." I offer.

"I didn't need help. I'm ok, Eric. Please stop worrying."

I sigh, knowing this conversation could easily turn into an argument. Instead of speaking, I walk up behind her and circle my arms gently around her waist. She leans into my embrace.

"How's your pain level? Be honest with me."

Before she can answer Dr. Rivers raps on the doorframe and steps into the room.

"I hear you're trying to make a break for it Tris." He says with humor in his voice.

"I'm ready to go. What has to happen for me to be able to leave, even if it's just for a few hours?" She asks.

"Ideally, I would keep you here for a couple more days, but medically speaking you're recovering at a much faster pace than we had anticipated. Your vitals have been excellent, you're mobile without needing assistance, you have no signs of infection, you've been healing extremely well, and your incision is progressing nicely. Tris, if I discharge you there will be strict guidelines for you to follow, and medications to take on a schedule. You'll need to follow up in my office in one week. Until then you're not to return to full work duties. I'm perfectly fine with light duties, anything that can be done from a sitting position that is not strenuous. No heavy lifting, no sex, nothing physical outside of the exercises that the physical therapist has given you."

"I can go home?" She asks with a huge grin.

"You can. I've already got the nurses started on the discharge paperwork."

"She wants to go to an execution today." I start, not beating around the bush. "The man who organized the murder attempt on her is being executed. I'm not sure if you're familiar, but when a criminal is executed the Dauntless leaders each have a weapon and fire. Only one is loaded. I know that she's going to want to participate, can you please give your recommendation on that?"

"Tris, under no circumstances are you to fire a weapon, or attempt to do so. Now, as for attending the execution itself, physically speaking you're able to do so. I'm not a psychiatrist, so you may take this next piece of advice as more of a friendly nature than as your physician, mentally speaking you've been through a lot and seeing this execution may dredge up some things you've buried. In your discharge paperwork I'm including the name and number of a psychiatrist that I highly recommend you make an appointment with. Does that help answer your questions?"

I nod as Tris starts to speak "Yes Dr. Rivers. And thank you for saving me." She crosses the room and gives him a hug.

"You're a brave woman. It was a pleasure. I'll see you next week." He replies before taking his leave.

"Are you ok?" She asks me.

"Babe, I'm more than ok. I can finally take you home." I reply. I take her into my arms and kiss her gently. She deepens the kiss and soon we hear a throat clearing.

"Looks like someone is feeling better." Four says with a chuckle, sitting an overnight bag on the floor. Rayne is beside him holding his hand. "Tris, you remember Rayne?"

"I do, it's nice to see you again." She smiles at Rayne, who in turn gives Tris a hug.

"I'm glad to see you awake and up. You gave these two such a scare." She replies.

"So, when did this happen?" Tris asks, gesturing between Four and Rayne and grinning widely.

"It's only been a week or so." Four replies, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"It's about damn time." Tris laughs and we join in.

Tris fills everyone in on the good news of her being discharged, but the mood quickly shifts when thoughts of today's activities push through.

"Hey, Four lets take a walk." I say and he nods. I kiss Tris softly and tell her I'll be right back. She gives me a knowing look. Once Four and I leave the room he begins talking.

"I'm ok, before you ask." He says.

"Didn't say you weren't. Just thought we'd give the girls some time to gossip about you." I chuckle and he joins in.

"Bullshit." He replies.

"Same could be said for you." I retort and he sighs.

"I made the right decision." He says.

"Are you asking or telling?" I ask.

"Telling. I'm not sure how to describe how I'm feeling. It's not regret or nerves, it's just something."

"You are Dauntless, but you're also Abnegation. Your selflessness comes through when you don't even realize it. You don't have to be there today. Max will understand."

"I want to be there, actually I take that back, I need to be there." He replies. "There's a part of me that desperately hopes I get the loaded gun. I feel sick knowing how much I want him to die for everything he's done."

We stop walking and I turn to face him. "You have no reason to feel that way, justice is being served. You're a good man, not because of him, but in spite of him."

"Thank you." He replies quietly.

"Is Rayne coming with you today?" I ask.

"Yes, she insisted, and to be honest I'm glad she is." He replies.

"You seem to really care about her."

"I do. She's different. Maybe it's the Amity in her, but she just has a completely different outlook on life. I pretty much suffered from word vomit and blurted out my entire life story one of the first times we talked and she didn't run away. She didn't even flinch. She just told me how amazing it made me. It's crazy."

"Not really. No matter how fucked up we think we are, when someone cares about you or loves you they see past the damage. How the hell do you think I ended up with Tris? I'm lucky she didn't run away screaming with how much of a prick I was to her."

"You are definitely a prick." He replies.

"You're a broody asshole." I retort and he laughs.

"We should head back before Tris talks Rayne into busting her out early." He chuckles.

"Damn, good point. The two of them together could be dangerous."

We walk back to the room and we can hear giggling before we even step through the door.

"This can't be good." Four says.

"Laughing is an indication of happiness, so I'd say it's perfectly fine." Rayne replies giving him a quick peck.

"They brought me a change of clothes." Tris smiles, pointing at the overnight bag.

"Yeah, well I know you pretty well, and I had a feeling you'd find some way out of here today. We figured you wouldn't want to wear pajamas." Four replies.

"Don't worry, I didn't let Christina pick out your outfit or shoes." Rayne smiles.

We continue to talk about light subjects until a nurse brings Tris her discharge paperwork. She goes over the instructions again carefully, Tris tapping her foot impatiently the entire time while I scowl at her.

"I'll get the wheelchair if you'd like to head down." The nurse says and Tris scoffs.

"I can walk!"

"Hospital policy, unless you'd like me to page the doctor and you can wait here until he comes to tell you the same thing." The nurse replies giving Tris a look.

"Fine, lets roll." Tris sighs.

For the first time in ten days my wife is seeing something other than hospital walls. I just wish we could be going anywhere besides Candor.

"We have some time, Tris do you want to go to Caleb's and grab a shower and change?" I ask.

"That sounds great." She replies.

We go to Caleb's apartment so Tris can get ready, and then we head to Candor. Once we arrive at Candor, we are once again immediately ushered to Jack Kang's office, where Max and Will are waiting for us.

"Tris, it's great to see you. What a surprise! How are you?" Jack says.

"I'm feeling pretty good. I really needed to be here today." She replies.

"She's on light duty, and can't participate. She's a spectator only." I reply and Max nods.

"Very well. We have everything we need here. Caleb and Andrew are already sitting with the rest of the leaders if you want to escort Tris to them Eric." Max replies.

Tris turns to Four, they don't exchange any words instead just a hug. Rayne and Four embrace and share a kiss. I walk Tris and Rayne into the main conference room. I'm surprised at how many people are here, it's much more filled than it was for the trial, to the point where it's standing room only. We make it over to where the leaders are sitting and she's greeted warmly with lots of hugs. Andrew forgoes all Abnegation formalities and ensconces his daughter in a warm embrace. Caleb soon does the same.

"It's so good to see you." Andrew says while Caleb agrees.

"You look beautiful, Tris. I'm so glad to have you back." Johanna replies. "Rayne, it's lovely to see you again my dear."

Tris introduces Rayne to the other leaders and she graciously speaks to each one. I see her sit next to Johanna and the two fall deep into conversation.

"I have to go babe. Are you ok?" I ask.

"Yes, I will be fine. Go. I love you."

I lean down and give her a soft kiss. "I love you too." She reaches out and grabs my hand. She doesn't pull me closer, we just stand there with grasped hands and sharing a look before she drops my hand and sits between her brother and father.

Jack escorts Max, Will, Four and me to the staging area. We see a table with four guns. Soon we hear the telltale sounds of chains and we brace ourselves for Marcus.

He's brought in, heavily chained and shackled and forcefully shoved down to his knees.

"Marcus Eaton, you have been found guilty of attempted murder, murder for hire and abuse of a minor child. Your sentence is death. Do you have anything to say for youself before your sentence is carried out?" Jack asks.

"I want him to do it." He looks at Four.

"We don't take requests." Max replies.

"Come on Tobias, be a man. Do something for youself you fucking coward. You're just like your mother. I should have killed you just like I did her." Marcus snarls.

There are shouts coming from the crowd. No one expected that confession to come from Marcus. Four is livid.

"You killed my mother?" He yells.

"Damn right I did. I put my hands around her lying, cheating neck and I watched as the life drained out of her. She had the audacity to get impregnated by another man. She got what she deserved. I should have killed you too. You are the biggest mistake of my life." Marcus shouts. "You can't do a damn thing about it, what are you gonna do kill me twice?" He laughs a manic laugh.

In all of the time I've known Four, I never would have imagined what kind of actual hell he went through to become the person he is today. He is pacing the stage, his face a myriad of emotions. Jack and the other Candor representatives are clearly at a loss at this unexpected turn of events.

"Dauntless, we are leaving the decision completely up to you." Jack says looking at Max and me.

"You don't have to be here for this." I say to Four quietly. "You can get out of here, we can take care of him." I can see Tris stand up from my peripheral vision, and she's walking towards the stage.

"Tobias, you don't have to do this." Tris whispers to Four before gripping my hand hard.

"Yes, I absolutely do." He quietly answers and then walks over to where the guns are, picks one up then fully loads it. I look at him and he's not showing any outward emotions, but I can see the pure strength and determination in his eyes.

Four raises the gun, pointing it directly at Marcus's head. Tris turns away from him, burying her face in my shoulder. "You call me a coward, you tell me I'm your biggest regret, you wish me dead. Those are all just words, and coming from you they mean nothing. You were given this life, one of power and privilege and you pissed it all away. You never wanted a wife or child, you wanted compliant little soldiers who fought your battles while taking your fists. My mother was amazing, she never backed down and she did everything she could to protect me from you. In spite of everything you did to me, I am a damn good soldier. I am brave, and selfless, and honest, and smart and kind. I am everything that you'll never be. I am doing this for what you tried to do to me, and for what you tried to do to Tris, but most of all I'm doing this for my mother. She never had a chance because of you." Four says to Marcus in an eerily calm voice.

Marcus's voice is now almost void of any emotion. "Listen, I've found a way to live with the blood on my hands, but can you?" He spits at Four.

"Be brave, Marcus." Four replies, then shoots him. Marcus falls to the ground, clearly dead. Four hands me the gun then he walks straight over to Rayne and embraces her, the two of them crying softly.


	14. Hidden Truths

**This chapter begins 6 weeks after the shooting.**

Chapter 14: Hidden Truths

Tris POV

"It's been six weeks. I'm fine. Besides, it's the fear landscapes. It's not like I'm sparring with any of them. Come on Four, please! I was cleared to return to full activity at my doctor's appointment a month ago, I'm sick of sitting in my office doing everyone's paperwork. Besides Shauna is out sick today, and this is the last full practice before the final." I whine while spinning from side to side in the computer chair next to Four. He's doing his best to ignore me while he sets up the monitoring software for the final fear landscape practice.

"You're only doing this because your husband and Max got called away. I'm on to you."

"Come on. I'm perfectly fine. Please!"

"Fine, but you sit and watch. That's it." He sighs.

"You're as bad as Eric." I reply.

"Seriously? As bad as the guy who's been putting up with your grumpy ass without one complaint? He's a saint to deal with you. I would have thrown you in the chasm by now." He replies and I smack him. "Ouch! Be nice or I'll toss you in now without a second glance."

"Whatever, you will do no such thing. Who's first?"

"Your favorite, Dillon." He replies. I sigh loudly.

"You're doing that to try to get me to leave. Even he's not going to keep me from this." I say over my shoulder as I skip into the hall to get him.

"Dillon, let's go."

"You're back. Um, glad you're ok." He stammers.

"I'm sure. Have a seat."

Four injects Dillon and we both watch the monitors. We see a crowd and finally a very naked Dillon standing in front of the crowd. I quickly look away.

"Seriously? He had to have a fear of public nudity? I swear you're doing this on purpose. You couldn't have warned me?" Four cracks up and keeps trying to make me watch it.

"You're not being a very good instructor right now." He says, trying to make his Four face and failing miserably. "Look, I'm only here because Shauna is sick. I haven't seen any of these fears. Max has kept me buried under paperwork just like you. We're the perfect pair you know, mentally unstable and physically incapable." He chuckles.

"You finally admit you're a mental case?" I smirk at him.

"As much as you are physically incapable of doing anything more than paperwork." He smirks back at me.

Dillon ends up having 16 fears, and it takes him 86 minutes to complete them. One of his fears is me rejecting him. Talk about uncomfortable. He's sweating profusely once he's finished.

"Did you guys see all of that?" He asks nervously.

"Yes, it's our jobs as instructors to view your fears. We aren't here to judge you." Four replies.

"You saw it too?" He asks me.

"Yes, but like Four said we're not here to judge you."

"So, who else will see them?" He asks.

"Well, all of the leaders view the final fear landscapes." Four replies. "So you've already gotten through the two of us."

"All the leaders? As in Eric too?" He asks, looking at Four nervously.

"Yes, Eric too. Is there a problem?" Four smirks slightly and I want to smack him.

"No, uh, no it's fine. Just was wondering. Thanks." He mumbles before leaving the room.

"He's gonna have a 17th fear soon." Four laughs. "Your husband killing him."

"You are such a dick." I roll my eyes at him. "Hopefully, the knowledge that Eric can see his fears will knock me out of his landscape."

"Yeah, you keep on believing that." He laughs.

Rion, Cass, Sara and Jessica all make it through their various fears within a reasonable time. There's a chance that Jessica is Divergent, but if she is she's not manipulating the landscape, she's just really good at making it through each of her 9 fears.

Jasper is without a doubt Divergent. He only has 3 fears: his father's rejection, drowning and his worse fear is his mother. Four and I watch in horror as his mother, who is obviously drunk, touches him inappropriately and tries to seduce him. I had to look away.

"What the fuck is it with Abnegation parents?" Four says angrily. "Your parents are the exception I guess. Why wouldn't Shauna tell us about this? She had to see it."

"That was awful. I wonder if it really happened or if it's symbolism." I shudder at the thought. "Shauna knows we're not supposed to talk about them, maybe she was afraid to mention it."

"I'm gonna hope it was symbolic but I can't honestly say that's a better thought." He replies, shaking his head. "I may try talking to him later."

"I think you should. That was rough, and if it made us feel this bad just imagine what he's going through. He practically ran out of here and away from the room." I reply.

Rayne is next and Four glances at me. "Yeah I guess I'm glad you're here since I can't score her."

I grin at him and go get Rayne. She looks nervous.

"Am I in trouble?" She asks.

"No, silly, I'm working." I smile and she returns it.

"Oh Four didn't tell me you were coming back!"

"He didn't know." I laugh and she joins me as we walk into the room.

Four moves Rayne's hair to the side and injects her. He then kisses her head and I hear him whisper "be brave". I smile at him and he blushes.

"Shut up Tris."

"I didn't even say anything!" I put my hands up in mock surrender. "It's cute. You two are adorable. Just deal with it."

"First Shauna, now you. And don't even get Christina started. It's never ending." He replies with an eye roll.

So far, Rayne's fear landscape is pretty normal, as far as fears and time. She's made it through the first five without issue. Until her sixth fear. It's Rayne walking in on Tobias and me kissing passionately. When she confronts us we keep going, and simulation me looks at her and says "He was mine all along, you can't compete with me."

Simulation Tobias looks over at her but doesn't say anything, he just keeps kissing me. Simulation me keeps eye contact with Rayne while suggestively moving my body and hands over Tobias. Simulation Rayne is frozen, tears running down her face and her hands pulling her own hair.

"She's having a hard time getting past this one." Four says nervously.

"Oh wow. Do you think she really thinks that?" I ask.

"I hope not. We've talked about you, and the relationship we had, I thought she was fine. She seemed fine." He replies.

The fear ends when she finally walks up to Tobias, yanks him off of me and slaps him hard across the face, screaming that she should have never fallen in love with him.

"Fuck. That was hell to watch." He says.

"I think I should talk to her. In the fear it's me who's taunting her. Maybe her fear is me taking you away from her." I say and Four nods.

"Thats not a bad idea." He agrees.

She makes it through all 8 of her fears with a great time. When she wakes up she's horrified.

"Oh my god, you both saw that. Oh my god." She's clearly emotional and Four quickly pulls her into his arms.

"Rayne, I hope you know that I'd never try to take Four from you. I know it's a lot to deal with him and I being friends because of our history, but I promise you that we are nothing more than that." I say.

"Rayne, you know how much I care about you. I'd never risk what we have for anything." Four says.

"I'm so sorry. I've just heard rumors and Dillon and Rion are always saying that you two have something going on. I guess it got to me more than I thought it did. I'm sorry." She replies.

"Rayne, you are my friend, you can talk to me about anything. What are these rumors?" I ask.

She sighs. "Well, I heard that you both were from Abnegation and that if Four hadn't of been caught cheating on you that you guys would have gotten married. Dillon and Rion just wouldn't shut up about you two the whole time you were gone, and then of course they kept running their mouths when he was visiting you every day in the hospital. Oh and the best is now Four likes to find initiates and have his way with them, basically that he has one in every class." She replies, blushing furiously.

I look over and Four and he gestures for me to talk. "Ok, I'm gonna disect that entire conversation. He and I are both from Abnegation. Big deal, lots of people change factions on choosing day. Did it make Four and I close during my initiation? Sure it did, we were the only two Abnegation transfers in years, so of course we were going to gravitate towards each other. I don't know how much he's told you, but he and I were virgins when we started dating, it was also both of our first relationship, neither of us had even kissed before that. We had no idea what we were doing, in any aspect of things. Being in Abnegation, we were basically taught that the first boy you kissed was the man you'd marry. So, even though we're Dauntless now, those Abnegation teachings were ingrained in us and he and I were forcing things. We've never loved each other as more than friends, I can assure you of that. We thought we were in love, but speaking for myself what Eric and I have is love like I've never seen before. What Four and I had was a great experience, but it certainly wasn't love. Yes, he cheated on me, but Rayne that was both of our faults in its own way. Our relationship was failing and we were both miserable. Once Eric and I started working closely together, I emotionally checked out of the relationship I had with Four, and I subconsciously started falling for Eric. Four was checked out too, and we were both guilty of not being honest with each other and ending it. The girl he was seeing was someone he cared about, it wasn't a string of women because he's not like that. Even though he and I were living together, we weren't intimate any longer, we didn't even have anything more than a strained roommate relationship at that point. If I had to today I wouldn't date him myself, but not because he cheated. I just know I don't feel anything more than friendship with him. He's not a bad person, and I truly believe that our relationship was important for both of us to experience because we both learned things from it. He's one of my best friends, and he means a lot to me, but I don't ever want our friendship to hurt you."

Rayne stands up, walks over to me and pulls me into a tight hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much. I knew better, but hearing you say all of that means so much to me. I'd never interfere in your friendship with him, you're my friend too. I'm sorry that I let doubt creep in."

"You have no reason to be sorry. I'm glad we talked, and I mean it you can talk to me anytime about anything." I reply. "I need to head out and find my husband."

Four mouths thank you to me and I wave as I'm walking out the door. I start walking towards my office, looking at my tablet and I run right into someone.

"Oh, sorry." I look up and it's Eric. He immediately wraps his arms around me.

"Hello gorgeous. Where have you been?" He asks.

"Helping with fear landscapes. No, I didn't overdo it." I grin at him and give him a chaste kiss. "Are you busy?"

"Nope, I'm actually done for the day, have something in mind?" He asks.

"How about we get our tattoos?" I grin and he breaks out in a wide smile.

"Lets do it." He grabs my hand and we walk to the tattoo parlor. I look around for Tori but don't see her anywhere. Instead, I'm greeted by a woman I've never met.

"Oh, hi Eric." She says. I can feel Eric tense beside me. "So, is this the wife? She finally making time for you?" She jerks her head towards me. He doesn't answer, instead he tugs on my hand.

"Lets come back when Tori's here." He says to me.

"Oh, I see your rings now, cute. Although, you might want to get something more permanent, that way you can't just take it off and play." She smirks.

"We're here to get our tattoos, so whatever you're insinuating is bullshit." I reply, getting more angry by the second. Who is this bitch?

"I do tattoos you know. I met you here in case you forgot." She says, looking at Eric and licking her lips. I stop Eric's attempt to pull me with him.

"Do you make it a habit of flirting openly with all of your male customers, or just the married ones?" I ask.

"Oh, he and I go way back, don't we sugar?" She says to Eric, who is still standing like he's frozen in time.

"How exactly do you two know each other?" I ask the woman. She smiles at me like she knows me. I'm trying to place her, she's got long black hair, hazel eyes and she's covered in tattoos on pretty much all of her exposed skin, except her face. She has several facial piercings, the ones that stand out the most are the spider bites on her lips, which are pierced with blood red metal spheres. She looks like she could be in her late 20's or early 30's.

"There are many, many ways how he and I know each other. So many." She purrs.

"Enough!" Eric yells. "Let's go now!"

I glare at him, taken aback by his outburst at me. "You don't speak to me that way." I growl at Eric. I turn back towards this woman "Who are you?!"

"I'm Sylvia, but I go by Syl." She replies. "Eric hasn't mentioned me?" She chuckles. "Big surprise there, I guess you didn't want wifey to know all your dirty secrets."

"Tris, let's go, I'll fill you in." Eric says, grabbing my hand again.

"Eric, you must not have told her how we got reacquainted last month. I guess you figured I'd be sent back to the fence, but you had to know that I wouldn't want to work with my ex husband." Syl says with a smirk.

"Reaquainted?" I ask looking between the two. Eric is glaring at Syl. "Eric, look at me, who is she to you?"

"Can we please leave? I'll explain everything." He replies.

"Eric, you didn't tell her anything? Shame on you. I guess the rumors of this being a sham marriage are true, huh? Well, he and I were involved, for almost 2 years off and on. We ran into each other at the bar last month, and the funny thing is that at the time I didn't know he was married. He surely wasn't acting very married that night, were you Eric?" She smirks at me.

"What the hell? What is she talking about?" I ask Eric.

"Can we please have this conversation in private?" He asks.

"Did something happen with her?" I ask.

"I'll let him explain it to you. But, if he doesn't give you the full story feel free to come see me anytime." Syl says before walking into the back of the parlor. "Oh and Eric, when she dumps you come see me. You always know where you can find me." She blows my husband a kiss and I lunge towards her retreating frame. Eric's grip on my hand halts my movements. He practically drags me out the door and up to our apartment. Once we're inside he sits down on the couch and holds his head in his hand.

"Eric, I'm trying really hard to not jump to conclusions. Please tell me what she's talking about."

"Nothing happened. Well, something happened, but I didn't cheat on you. I know you're thinking it, but I didn't." He says.

"Tell me everything." I say evenly.

"She knows I'm married, and I never hid it that night. I promise you."

"What night? What happened? Who the fuck is she? Explain it now." I say angrily.

"She's the woman I was previously involved with. The married one I told you about." He replies.

I take a deep breath. "What was she talking about when she says you were reaquainted last month Eric?"

"Tris, please promise me you will hear me out. Please. I love you." He pleads.

"Talk now!" I yell without thought.

"The first night you and Four were in Abnegation, after our video chat, I went down to the bar for some drinks. I was being irrational, pissed because you two were sharing a room and I was hoping that a couple of drinks would help. I ended up running into Riot, he's a buddy of mine who'd been off at the fence for months, and he and his crew had just been called back here. We had some shots at the bar, then he invited me over to his apartment to hang out with his crew. I went, and everyone was getting pretty hammered. Syl showed up, she was part of Riot's crew. At first, we kept our distance from each other, I actually had no idea she was even there. As more drinks flowed, she found her way over to me and she started flirting, pretty much the way she was acting at the tattoo shop. I was standing up to leave, but I was wasted and I got extremely dizzy. I ended up getting sick in Riot's bathroom. Apparently Syl helped take care of me, and I ended up passing out on Riot's couch. The next morning when I woke up she was on the couch with me."

I can feel the bile rising in my throat. "What happened between you two Eric? Why did she make that fucking comment about you not acting married and you taking your ring off?"

"When I woke up, my shirt and pants were off. Riot said it was because I'd gotten sick on them. Nothing happened between her and me. I love you."

"Why did she say what she said about your ring Eric? What aren't you telling me?"

"My ring was off. I'd taken it off when I was working on the bags earlier, and planned on putting it back on after my shower." He replies.

"You got shit faced wasted, woke up in your fucking underwear and took your fucking wedding ring off? Did you cheat on me? Did something happen with her?"

"No, Tris I wouldn't cheat on you!"

"Do you even remember everything that happened that night, Eric? You were wasted!" I can tell I hit a nerve by the way his face falls. "You honestly don't know if you cheated, do you?"

"Tris, I would never cheat on you..."

I cut him off. "Sober. However you were fucked up. You don't know do you? You shouldn't have fucking been there!" I scream at him. I stand up, tears falling freely. I grab my keys and phone and leave our apartment.

He follows me out the door and into the hallway. "Tris, please don't walk away. I love you. I'd never do anything to risk our marriage."

"Leave me alone. I'm not having this conversation in a hallway. We are leaders. Go away. Don't follow me."

I walk up the flight of stairs to Chris and Will's apartment and bang on the door. There's no answer. I slide down the wall and start crying harder. The door to the apartment next to Chris and Will's opens and I see Four.

"Fuck. Tris, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" He asks. I just cry harder. "What's wrong? Should I call Eric?"

"No!" I shout and he jumps a bit. He squats in front of me.

"Tris, do you want to come in?" He asks quietly. All I can do is nod. He stands up and offers me his hands. He pulls me up and leads me into his apartment. I immediately sit on his couch, pulling my legs up and wrapping my arms around my knees. He sits down next to me. "What happened?" He asks.

"I think Eric cheated on me." I say in between sobs.

"What? No. When? There's no way." He replies.

I try to catch my breath, my hard crying has turned into hiccups. Four moves closer and puts an arm around my shoulder and I lean against him, clutching his shirt and sobbing into his chest. His door opens and neither of us move.

"Oh my gosh, is she ok?" Rayne asks. I feel her sit next to me and wrap her arms around my waist. "What happened?"

I try to answer, but my sobbing has made me a blubbering mess. Four speaks up. "I'm not exactly sure. I found her outside of Chris and Will's bawling her eyes out. The only thing she's said so far is she thinks Eric cheated on her." I start crying harder.

"Oh Tris. Let it out. I'm so sorry." Rayne says. Four and Rayne continue holding me between them and let me cry it out. My hiccups finally stop, and my tears have slowed enough for me to speak.

"He got drunk the night we left for Abnegation. He woke up the next morning in his boxers, on his friends couch with his ex lover sleeping on the couch with him." I say. I feel Four tense up.

"Tris, can you tell us everything? It seems like that's a very small summary for a much bigger story." Rayne asks cautiously.

I sit up a bit, Rayne grabs my hand and Four keeps one arm over my shoulder. I start from the beginning, explaining what happened at the tattoo parlor, the fight with Eric and the fact that he didn't answer me when I asked if he remembered that night. I explain how I am so hurt that he never even mentioned the night happening. Four removes his arm from me and stands up. He starts walking towards his door.

"Where are you going?" Rayne asks.

"Tris, stay here with Rayne please. If either of you get tired before I get back take the bed. I'll sleep out here tonight. Ray, you have clothes she can sleep in right?"

"I do, but where are you going?" She asks.

He comes over and gives her a kiss. He kisses the top of my head. "To talk to Eric."

"No, Tobias, that's not a good idea. You're angry." Rayne walks towards him and reaches for his hands.

"I don't want you to do anything out of anger." I add.

"I'm not. I want to find out what happened. Don't wait up." He replies, kissing Rayne before walking out the door.

"Fuck!" I yell. "I shouldn't have involved him."

"Tris, it's ok. He seemed calm. He's not going to do anything stupid. Why don't you change, I'll get you some clothes." I feel more tears coming on, so I silently follow Rayne to the bedroom while she grabs yoga pants and a tank top for me to change in to. "Do you want to take a shower or anything?" I shake my head no. Rayne pulls the blankets back and I crawl into bed. She lays down next to me and rubs my back while I cry. Next thing I know, Christina is crawling into bed on my other side.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"Four just told me. I'm here for my best friend." She wraps me in her arms and I sob between my two friends.

 **Eric POV**

"What the fuck dude?" Four yells at me as I open the door.

"Is she ok? Is she with you?" I look out in the hallway but it's empty.

"She's at my apartment with Chris and Ray. What in the fuck did you do?"

"I didn't cheat on her. Four, you know I wouldn't do that." I reply.

"You need to tell me absolutely every detail of that night. Everything you can remember, no matter how insignificant it seems."

"Tris and I did that video call. You were there in the bedroom with her at the safe house. It was the night you all got there. I got insecure when I realized the two of you were sharing a room. After the call, I went to the Pit to have a couple of drinks. I figured I'd run into Zeke or Uriah there, but I didn't. I decided to come home and on my way out my buddy Riot found me. He'd been working at the fence for months, it was his first night home. We had a couple of shots and then he tells me his crew was partying it up at his apartment and invited me there."

"Ok, this seems innocent so far, continue." He replies.

"There were quite a few people at Riot's place, but I found a spot on his couch and drank some sort of punch concoction that he brought me. That shit was deadly, you'd drink it thinking it was nothing, and I drank a shit ton of it. I didn't know Syl was part of his crew, nor did I even see her get to the party. At some point she found me on the couch. We talked about nothing important at first, just how her fence job was going, and she told me she was divorced. I was pretty fucked up at this point. I remember her telling me she'd heard a rumor I was married, but she grabbed my left hand and saw nothing. I'd taken my ring off because I was working the bags earlier that evening before Tris's call, and my plan was to put it back on after my shower, and I obviously forgot. So Syl sees no ring and no tattoo. She tried to kiss me and I stood up really fast, so fast that I felt the room spin. I remember going into the bathroom and puking, a lot. The next thing I remember is waking up early the next morning. I was in my boxers, on the couch and Syl was laying on the other end. We were both under a blanket, lying feet to feet. I got up, felt sick and ended up puking again. Riot heard me and he brought me some water and gave me some clothes to wear. He was still kind of buzzed, but when I asked him about Syl being there he was pretty emphatic that she didn't stay overnight in the apartment. He said she actually left with another guy. He said that it was only him, a chick he hooked up with and me that slept there."

"What happened to your clothes?"

"I got them back later that night. Riot had washed them, he said they were covered in puke from me passing out in my own vomit on his bathroom floor."

"Did you ask Syl what happened?"

"I tried looking for her and she was gone, I was told the entire crew was sent back to the fence. Four, I didn't see her again until today at the tattoo parlor." I reply.

"Why did you hide this from Tris?"

"It wasn't my intention. I didn't want to tell her about it until I could talk to her in person. I was stupid, I drank way too fucking much and passed out in my own puke. It was embarrassing. Then, with her getting shot and her recovery I just didn't think to tell her. Four, I would never cheat on her. I'd never even look at another woman. Syl is part of my past, you know about her she's the woman who I was sleeping with during initiation. Tris asked me if I remembered everything that happened that night and I didn't answer her because I don't know everything, but that's because I had passed out. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I didn't cheat on her before passing out or after I woke up. Nor would I have been capable of it even if I had wanted to since I was a puking mess."

"You realize you're a fucking idiot right? You drank yourself stupid over jealousy. I've been there though. We need to talk to Syl." He says.

"Why? She antagonized Tris today. Do you think she's going to offer anything positive?" I ask.

"Won't know unless we try, put on some shoes, dry your damn eyes and let's go." He replies. "Is Riot still at the fence?"

"Yeah." I reply.

"He'll be our next stop if necessary."

"Why are you doing this?" I ask.

"We're clearing your name idiot. She's not going to believe you because in her mind you beyond fucked up. The first night your wife was out of town you took off your wedding ring, went to a bar, then a party and woke up on a couch with your ex while you were practically naked. That's what Tris sees right now. So we need as much proof as we can get of your innocence. If this doesn't work I swear I'll beg Jack Kang for a vial of fucking truth serum." He laughs a little. "Come on, stop crying, you're going to get her back."

I put shoes on and run my hand over my face. "Fine, lets do this. First stop is the tattoo parlor." I reply as we head out the door.


	15. The Truth Shall Set You Free

**I love your reviews, seriously you all are awesome. I also love how you all seem to hate Syl as much as me. Enjoy loves! :)**

Chapter 15: The Truth Shall Set You Free

Eric POV

"I knew you'd be back, and you brought backup huh?" Syl says with a smirk as she locks the door of the tattoo parlor behind us. "You're lucky you even caught me here, I had a late customer. What do you two want?"

"For you to help him fix the fuckstorm you started." Four replies.

"Well hello to you too, Four. Long time no see. Since when are you two friends?" She asks. "Rumor has it that his little blonde wife was your little blonde girlfriend when they got drunk and got married." She laughs. "Oh shit, are you _the_ ex?"

"Don't believe everything you hear." Four scoffs. "Look, let's get to the point. You started a mess with Tris, and we need to know exactly what happened that night."

"Don't you remember what happened?" She asks me, one of her long red fingernails nonchalantly tracing patterns on the counter, her entire demeanor bored.

"Syl, I was a puking mess. You know I don't remember parts of it. Can you please drop the attitude and the flirting? My wife isn't speaking to me at the moment, and I really want to fix this." I reply.

"This is comical, really. Jesus Christ, she really has cut off your balls huh?" She laughs.

"Syl, we didn't do anything that night. Why would you insinuate to Tris that we did?" I ask.

"I was helping you to get your revenge. You should be thanking me, you idiot." She replies.

"What revenge? Why would I thank you? Did you miss the part where I said my wife isn't speaking to me because of you?"

"Eric, you are a fool for taking her back. You went on and on at Riot's, blubbering about how your wife was sleeping with her ex. And then you show up in the tattoo parlor with her? So, she fucked someone else and you take her back just like that?" She rolls her eyes. "Considering back when you and I were seeing each other you wouldn't touch me unless I swore to you that Roland and me were done, I didn't think you'd be so ok with your wife fucking around. So I figured I'd give her a taste of her own medicine."

"You told her we were sleeping together?" Four asks me with an incredulous look.

"Oooo you _are the_ ex! I knew it. How the hell are you two friends? This is one fucked up relationship." Syl shakes her head and chuckles.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" I yell.

"Dude, what the hell?" Four asks.

"I was plastered, and I did rant about you and Tris sleeping in the same room. Sleeping together. Literally sleeping."

Four starts laughing hysterically. "You mean you went on a rant about the fact we were sharing a bedroom in Abnegation?"

"For fucks sake Eric they were sharing a room in Abnegation of all places? What were they doing, stealing scandalous glances at each other?" Syl joins in, laughing with Four.

"This really isn't funny." I reply, running my hand through my hair and down my face.

"It actually fucking hilarious. You got bent because we were sharing a bedroom that had separate beds, got drunk off your ass and ranted to your ex whatever she is about how your wife was _sleeping_ with her ex, but you never clarified that it was sleeping in the literal sense." Four replies.

"Ok, fine, but Syl can you explain how you ended up on the couch with me?" I ask.

"Jesus Christ, Eric we were clothed. I mean yeah you were in your boxers, but it's because you passed out in the bathroom in your own vomit. I helped Riot get you cleaned up and on the couch then I left with Scotty, we went back to his place and had some fun, but he had to work fucking early as shit and I didn't want to stay there with his creepy roommate in the apartment so I came back to Riot's to crash for a while longer on his couch. You were there passed out, so I just took the other end. Technically, you were sleeping on my bed, since I was couch surfing with Riot until housing could get me my own apartment and not one with my asshole ex. Did you really think I would take advantage of you in your sleep?" She laughs. "Look, I won't lie, had you been willing that night we definitely would have hooked up, because I remember how damn good you are. But, you weren't, all you could do was whine about was how much you loved your wife and how it was making you crazy that she was sleeping with her ex. It was actually kind of pathetic, but I felt bad for you since I thought she was actually fucking some other dude. Anyway, if I had of known that it was literally sleeping I wouldn't have fucked with her earlier, honest."

"I seriously cannot believe how ridiculous this all is. Your wife is at my house, possibly still bawling her eyes out over this dumb shit. We should go." Four says.

"I seriously need to fix this with Tris." I stand up to leave.

"If for some reason she won't believe you, send her my way. I now owe her an apology anyway, and sorry to you too for sticking my nose where it didn't belong. You're still an idiot though." She laughs. "Good luck."

"Yeah, thanks." I mumble as Four and I walk out the door.

"I don't want to hear it." I say to Four as he shakes his head and chuckles.

"Once this all blows over, you're going to laugh your ass off about it." He replies.

"I'm never drinking again." I sigh.

"Yes you are, just not without Tris."

"Well, yeah, that works. Four is she going to listen to me? How bad did I fuck up?"

"Pretty bad. She was to the point where she couldn't really talk because of how hard she was crying. Ray was gonna give her some clothes and try to get her to sleep, and I saw Chris on my way to your place and filled her in. She was heading to my place too. I'm hoping between the two of them they got her calmed down."

"Or ready to kill me." I reply.

"One or the other."

We continue walking to Four's apartment, once we get to the door he pauses. "Ready to face your executioner?" He smirks.

"I'm dangerously close to going back to hating you." I reply.

"You need me right now, I'm the only one who can vouch for what Syl said." He replies.

"Fine. Let's do this."

We walk into the apartment and its eerily silent.

"Maybe they're in the bedroom." Four says and I follow him. We find Christina, Tris and Rayne cuddled together in bed, all three asleep. "I can actually say I've had three girls in my bed at the same time. Sleeping together. Too soon?" He whispers.

"I seriously fucking hate you." I reply. "Maybe we should let them sleep."

"Absolutely not. You're gonna grow a set and tell your wife exactly what we just found out. There's no way you're letting her wake up and cry over your dumb ass in the morning. This ends tonight." He walks over to Rayne and gently nudges her. She stirs and looks up at the two of us.

"You didn't kill him." She whispers to Four. "Does this mean I should wake Tris?"

"Yes." Four replies. "Come to the living room once you're all awake, ok?" She nods and he and I leave the room.

I nervously pace the living room while we wait for the girls to come out. Rayne comes out first, followed by Chris holding Tris's hand. Her eyes are red rimmed and bloodshot, and it's because of me. I feel like shit.

"Should we leave you two alone?" Rayne asks and Four shakes his head no.

"Why are you here?" Tris asks coldly.

"I want to explain what happened." I reply.

"You already told me you don't remember everything. There's nothing else to say."

"Tris, we talked to Syl. We found out what all happened. It's a huge misunderstanding." I reply.

"Just hear him out Tris." Four says quietly.

Tris looks at me with her puffy eyes and crosses her arms. "Go ahead."

"I'm an idiot." I begin, and I hear Chris snort. I glare at her and continue. "So, while I was shit faced, before puking, I apparently went on a rant about how my wife was sleeping with her ex. Syl didn't realize I meant sleeping in the literal sense, like I said before I was irrationally jealous after I learned that you and Four were sleeping in the same room, so with enough alcohol my irrational rantings led her to believe you were cheating on me. Nothing happened between her and I that night. She helped Riot get me cleaned up after they found me passed out in my own puke on the bathroom floor, and she ended up leaving with another guy to go hook up. She ended up back at Riot's early that morning and I was technically sleeping on her bed since she'd been staying at Riot's on his couch while she waited for housing to get her an apartment. I never spoke to her again after that night until the tattoo parlor, and when she saw me there with you she decided to mess with you because she thought I took you back after you had cheated on me. She thought she was helping me get revenge on you. Tris, nothing happened, and nothing would ever happen with her or anyone else. I love you, and only you. She even said that all I could talk about that night was how much I loved you, even when I was ranting like a bumbling idiot. Tris, I'm so sorry. I should have never gone out drinking that night, I should have called you back and talked through my insecurities. I never meant to hurt you, and I certainly didn't mean to hide this incident. I planned on telling you face to face, but then you were shot and the focus was on you and your recovery. Baby, I'm so sorry."

"Are you done?" Tris asks.

"Yes, please talk to me." I plead. Tris says nothing, she shakes her head and I see her start to cry. She reaches out for Christina.

"You truly are an idiot." Chris says to me, then looks at Tris. "But, he's telling the truth."

"How would you know?" I ask.

"Former Candor, remember? We can detect dishonesty from a mile away, I swear we're taught that from birth. Anyway, yeah you're telling the truth about what happened, and you truly feel like shit, as you should." She glares at me.

"I witnessed the whole conversation between him and Syl too." Four replies.

"Tris, please say something. Anything. Scream at me if you need to." I say.

She looks at Christina. "Can I sleep on your couch tonight?"

"Of course you can." She answers quietly.

"Tris, please talk to me. Please just say something. I'm so sorry." I say. I can see the shocked look on Four's face.

"Can we go now?" Tris asks Christina.

Christina shoots me a brief look, unreadable, before nodding at Tris.

"Could you help me get her settled?" Christina asks Rayne. Rayne nods and the two women surround Tris and walk her out of the apartment.

"I fucked up so bad." I say to Four before sitting down on his couch. "She wouldn't even look at me anymore."

"Just give her time. Let her calm down and process what you've told her." He replies. He goes into his kitchen and returns with two beers. "I know you said you weren't going to drink again but I think you might need a beer or two tonight." I nod and take a sip of the cold brew.

"What do I do?" I ask.

"It's hard to say when she's like this." He replies.

"What did you do when she was like this with you?" I ask. He gives me a questioning look and takes a long draw of his beer before speaking.

"Your relationship with her is completely different. Don't compare it." We hear the door open and both turn to face it. Surprisingly it's a sleepy looking Will who enters.

"Based on what I just saw I'm going to assume it was you that fucked up." He says looking at me.

"Beers in the fridge" Four replies and Will walks into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry you've gotten dragged into it Will." I reply. He sits on the ottoman and takes a sip of his beer.

"No worries, I didn't get dragged in. She's a mess, what did you do?"

I fill Will in on everything. He listens without betraying any type of emotion or expression, just keeps his eyes trained on me and takes swigs of his beer. When I finish speaking, he sighs.

"Well, that's pretty bad."

"But he didn't cheat." Four says, shaking his head. "I don't get why she's still so upset."

"I can." Will replies and he notices our shocked expressions. "Hear me out. If you had of just talked to some random chick behind her back it'd probably be easier for her to forgive than what happened." I open my mouth to speak, but he holds his hand up. "Let me finish. By your own admittance, this woman Syl has more history with you than Tris. Even if it was just a physical relationship for you, it went on for over a year, and in Tris's eyes that means you felt at least some sort of connection. Again, that's what a woman could think, they aren't as detached from physical contact as men can be, and especially not a former Abnegation woman. Am I right with that Four?"

"Yes, I can definitely agree there. In Abnegation sex equates to love." He replies.

"So, you confided how you were feeling about Tris and Four to Syl. That is where she'd be upset. You shared your inner feelings with someone other than Tris, and that someone happened to be a person you've known in an intimate way." Will finishes, chugging his beer and heading into the kitchen to grab us all more.

"I don't get pissed when she talks to Four." I retort

"Would you get pissed if she confided something in him that was about you, and she hadn't talked to you about it? Plus, Four is your friend too. Tris doesn't know this Syl woman at all, and her first impression of her is her openly flirting with you." Will replies, handing Four and I fresh beers.

"Fuck. You're right. If she had of talked to him about me without talking to me I'd definitely be upset. I'd be even more upset if he and I weren't friends. How do I fix this?" I ask.

"No idea. I can explain why she might be pissed, but fixing things isn't my forte. I usually just steer clear of Chris until she's no longer looking at me like she's plotting my death." He replies with a chuckle.

"Don't look at me. It's obvious I don't know how to deal with issues. My ex girlfriend got pissed at me and married you." He replies, breaking into laughter. Will joins in and I can't hold back a smile.

"That doesn't reassure me." I sigh and take a long pull from my beer bottle. The front door opens again and Uri and Zeke walk in.

"What'd you do to her?" Zeke asks me while Four points his beer bottle towards the kitchen and Uri heads to the fridge.

"How do you two even know?" I ask.

"Chris texted Mar and Shauna for a girlfriend intervention for Tris. Apparently you fucked up big time." Uri replies, handing a beer to his brother. "So what'd you do?"

I explain the situation to the Pedrad's, with Four and Will jumping in to offer commentary.

"You didn't fuck her though. It sounds like you didn't even touch her. I don't get why she's so pissed. I hear what you're saying Will, but really emotional cheating? That's some Erudite bullshit right there." Uriah says.

"Well she's wired part Erudite so she might see the logic in how he explained it." Zeke replies.

"Why are you sitting here drinking beer with us? Go talk to her." Uri says.

"I tried. She walked out, and asked to sleep at Chris and Will's." I reply.

"Yeah don't listen to Uri. He spends a lot of time sleeping on my couch after Marlene throws him out." Zeke replies.

"Work is gonna suck tomorrow." Four says and we all agree. "At least you two can chill in the control room," he gestures at Zeke and Uriah "I either will continue to be buried under paperwork or have to do fear landscapes with the initiates, one of which has already been up half the night with Tris."

"I'm sorry guys. I should go so you all can get some sleep." I say.

"Sit down and shut up." Four says.

We continue drinking our beer and shooting the shit, but all really hoping that the girls would just come back.

 **Tris POV**

"You're sure you want to sleep here tonight? I figured you'd want to talk to Eric." Chris asks.

"I can't talk to him right now." I start crying, fuck, I can't even hold it back.

"What can we do?" Rayne asks. I shrug my shoulders and cry harder. She wraps her arms around me.

Chris goes into the kitchen and returns with a bottle of wine and three glasses. "I think we need wine." She pours us each a glass and hands one to Rayne and one to me.

"Drink up. I have three more bottles." She grins. Rayne takes a sip and smiles.

"Oh my gosh this is good." She takes a gulp.

"Hey Amity, slow down. This isn't peace serum, you gotta pace yourself." Chris chuckles and I smile too. "There's a smile, I saw it. I knew wine would help. Drink up Tris, this one is your favorite."

"You girls go ahead, I'll catch up." I reply. I start crying again, harder than before.

"Trissy, don't cry. I hate seeing you like this. He didn't cheat. I know he was a big idiot, but he wouldn't cheat on you. Please don't cry." Chris says and I bawl harder. "Tris honey, what's wrong? Did something else happen? You are so emotional. Did he do something else?"

I nod my head and sob. Rayne and Chris surround me with hugs.

"Chris, is she ok? I heard crying and thought it was you." Will asks sleepily.

"I'm sorry." I say between cries and hiccups.

"Will, sorry for waking you sweetie, if you wanted to go next door Four and Eric are over there." Chris says and Will quickly heads out the door.

"Oh god, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here." I say in my broken cried out voice.

"Shut that crap up now woman. Tris, what is wrong? What else happened with Eric?" Chris asks.

"Here, drink this, it'll help your nerves." Rayne says, handing me my wine glass. I just stare at the contents and feel tears running down my cheeks.

"Honey, talk to us." Chris pleads. "Drink your wine, do something other than torture yourself."

"I can't." I reply, I hand my wine glass to Chris.

"You can't stop torturing yourself? Tris, I love you, but you blaming yourself for his fuck up is ridiculous." Chris replies.

"No. I mean I can't drink the wine." I whisper. "I'm pregnant."

"What?" Rayne exclaims. Chris looks at me with her mouth hung open.

"We need backup. I just texted Mar and Shauna." Chris replies. "How? When?" She asks.

"Well, I'm sure you can figure out the how." I chuckle. "I'm only about 3 weeks. I found out this morning at my check up with Dr. Rivers. Apparently the combination of medications I was on after being shot rendered my birth control useless. So yeah."

"What did Eric say?" Rayne asks.

"He doesn't know. He was called away for an emergency meeting this morning so he had to miss my appointment, I planned on telling him after we got our wedding ring tattoos." More hot tears spill down my cheeks. Rayne hugs me tight while Chris answers her door. Marlene and Shauna come in and immediately wrap their arms around me.

"I'll grab another glass. One of you can take the glass I poured for Tris." Chris says.

"It's serious when Tris turns down her favorite wine. What's going on?" Shauna asks when everyone releases me.

"I can't drink. I'm pregnant."

"Holy shit! That's great news! Why are you crying about it? Did Eric get mad?" Marlene asks.

I take a deep breath and fill Shauna and Marlene in, with Chris and Rayne helping when I would cry too hard.

"Oh my goodness. Ok, so he definitely was stupid for acting that way, but he didn't cheat. He wouldn't either. You have tamed the scariest person in Dauntless. He's like a kitten around you." Shauna says.

"I know he didn't cheat and I also know he wouldn't. Maybe it's my hormones that are making me irrational. This incident also happened before I got shot, when he was still a little uncomfortable with my friendship with Four. Now he and I are in a great place emotionally, I know what happened that night wouldn't ever happen again." I reply.

"Are you afraid to tell him you're pregnant?" Marlene asks.

"Somewhat. I was on the shot, so we weren't planning this. The medications they gave me interfered with its effectiveness, and well once I was cleared for sex we made up for a lot of lost time, you girls can figure that part out. But, between me losing one of my ovaries and being on birth control I didn't think getting pregnant would be that easy. Even Dr. Rivers was surprised. He said most women need to be off the shot for months before successfully conceiving, and that's perfectly healthy women. Not one who's recovering from a gunshot wound who lost half her reproductive system."

"You guys have talked about having kids, right?" Rayne asks.

"Yeah, we both want kids, I just didn't expect it this soon. We are both so busy, between leadership duties, initiation and training Four and Will. I just am afraid the timing couldn't be worse." I feel tears leaking out of my eyes again.

"When is there ever a right time? You're both in leadership, life is always going to be busy for you. But, people have kids all the time. Harrison helped his wife raise six kids all while he was a leader, and he is a phenomenal father, he practically raised me too since my dad died when I was a baby. You weren't born here so you missed when his kids were smaller, but I'm telling you it's possible. Max and Eric are the only leaders that haven't had kids while in leadership. Max because Dana couldn't conceive and Eric, well because he was a prickly bastard up until you. Tris, it's going to be fine. Your kids will be fine." Shauna replies.

"Tris, he loves you. I doubt there is anything you could tell him that would change that. You already know he wants kids, you want kids, and obviously the stars aligned for you to get pregnant when you thought it was impossible. Why are you sad about this? You're gonna be a mom, and you're gonna be the best. Plus, if he loves that kid half as much as he loves you it'll be set for life." Marlene says with a smile.

"I need to tell him. Will you girls come with me?" I ask.

"That's a silly question. Of course we will!" Chris says. "Let's go!" She grabs the bottle of wine and each girl brings their glass.

We walk next door and Rayne opens the door and we find all our guys talking.

"Hey girls, welcome to the stag party." Uri says with a grin.

"Should we give you two some privacy?" Four asks.

"No, but Eric can I talk to you in private first?" I ask. He nods.

"You can use the office. Don't have sex in there!" Four yells and everyone laughs.

Eric and I walk into the office and sit in the two desk chairs. "Tris, I'm so sorry..." He starts. I hold my hand up.

"Eric, I know you didn't cheat. I also know we're in a much better place now than we were that night. I just let my emotions get the best of me. You already apologized for what happened, and I'm accepting it." I reply and he smiles and pulls me out of my chair and into his lap for a kiss.

"Before we get carried away, there's something I need to talk to you about." I take a deep breath and look at my husband. I can already feel the tears coming. Fucking hormones.

"Baby what's wrong? You can tell me anything." His brows are furrowed and his eyes full of concern.

"Ok, so you know I went to see Dr. Rivers this morning. He was running some tests and one in particular came up with unexpected results."

"I told Max I shouldn't have missed this appointment."

"Stop, there's nothing you could have done by being there." I swallow and then take a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

"Pregnant? We're having a baby? How? When?" He seems just as shocked as I was.

"Well the medications I was on after getting shot rendered my birth control ineffective. And for the how, I'm sure you can figure it out based on how much sex we've had since I was cleared." We both chuckle at this, since the first time we made love after being cleared was literally on the train on our way home from that particular doctors appointment, and we've taken advantage of almost every free moment we've had since then. "I'm about three weeks. I wouldn't have even known if it weren't for these tests today. I know we hadn't planned for this..." Eric cuts me off, and he has a huge grin on his face.

"I don't care about plans. We're going to be parents. You're going to make me a father. I love you so much." He kisses me passionately. He pulls back suddenly and says "Let's go tell everyone!"

He practically drags me back into the living room by my hand.

"You two had sex in my office, didn't you? Look at the smile on his face." Four quips.

"They're both pretty smiley, but if they had sex that was a super quickie." Zeke replies.

"We're having a baby. We're going to be parents. Tris is pregnant!" Eric excitedly announces.

The girls all squeal appropriately and hug me and the guys do handshakes and bro hugs. Everyone seems genuinely happy with our announcement.

"You two didn't waste any time working on those badass prodigy grandkids, your mom is gonna be stoked." Uri jokes.

"Badass prodigy grandkids?" Eric asks, quirking his pierced eyebrow at me.

"Long story." I laugh. He smiles and gives me a sweet kiss.

"I love you so much. You just turned the worst day into one of the best days of my life." He smiles against my lips.

"I love you too. We're going to have a baby."

"Yes we are." He puts his hands on my flat belly and smiles.

"Thank you all for being great friends. We're sorry you got dragged into our drama." I say.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for being an idiot." Eric adds.

"No apologies needed. You've both been there for all of us." Zeke waves his hands. "So when is baby Coulter due to make its badass appearance?"

"Not until the summer. June 10th is my tentative due date. We couldn't narrow down an exact conception date, so we had to go by measurements. That reminds me, I have the ultrasound pictures at home." Eric smiles and kisses my temple.

"How can a doctor not be able to tell when you got pregnant, isn't that their job?" Uri asks looking completely confused. Marlene smacks his head. "What? I really want to know."

"Well Uriah, if you have sex multiple times a day, every day, it's hard to narrow down when exactly the miracle of life was created." Eric replies with a smirk.

"No! My ears! No!" Uri yells.

"You asked dumb ass." Zeke says laughing.

"I mean, it's no big secret that they like to get busy. The answer should have been obvious." Chris replies while Will shakes his head behind her.

"Why do our conversations always turn into sex talks?" I ask.

"Because you two have more sex than anyone I've ever known. And now the proof is right in your belly." Chris grins while I feel the heat of a blush on my cheeks.

"On that note, let me get my wife home." Will grins and grabs Christina's hand to drag her out of the apartment.

"Yeah we're going home and to bed." Shauna says.

"Us too. Glad you guys are ok." Marlene says with a smile.

"Thanks again everyone." I reply. "You two especially. Thank you so much." I say to Four and Rayne. "We're going to get out of your hair." Rayne gives me a huge hug and I see Eric shaking Four's hand.

Once we're back at our apartment I walk straight to the bedroom and flop on the bed.

"I know that make up sex is expected at this moment in time, but I'm so tired." I whine. Eric looks at me and laughs.

"Me too babe. You gotta at least get changed and under the covers." I crack an eye open in time to catch him with his sexy, muscular back to me, in his boxers taking his shirt off. Fuck. My husband is hot. I crawl behind him and wrap my arms around his waist, and slide one hand into the front of his boxers.

"Whoa, I thought you were tired." He says breathily, while I'm steadily stroking him.

"But then I saw you in just your boxers. I thought you might need help taking them off." I use my free hand to tug on his boxers, dropping them to the floor. "Turn around." I command. He faces me, and with me sitting on the bed and him standing I'm at the perfect height to take him fully in my mouth.

"Damn babe." He moans while I swallow his length. "You are so good at this." He threads his hands through my hair and starts guiding my head up and down. I'm turned on beyond belief, so I slide my hand into my yoga pants and under my panties and begin touching myself.

"Tris, I want to be inside of you." He moans. I graze my teeth lightly along his shaft before removing him from my mouth. I start undressing while Eric watches me, he's stroking himself slowly.

"You are turning me on so fucking much. Watching you do that is so hot." I say to him before laying down on our bed. He crawls over me and kisses me hard while rubbing his cock against my clit, and I'm so aroused already that I'm feeling my orgasm building from the friction of him rubbing against me. "God Eric, that feels amazing." He brings me to a quick, hard release before thrusting into me in one stroke. He moves my legs up to his shoulders, and starts a slow, but hard pace that I match.

"You like that baby?" He asks huskily. All I can do is moan in approval. He keeps the slow pace, then suddenly pushes my knees up to my chest and pulls my hips towards him and the angle he's at is making me fall apart.

"Fuck. Like that baby. Faster." I pant. I'm quickly approaching my second release and I can tell from the sounds he's making that he's close too. "I'm close Eric, cum with me baby." He increases his pace and I can feel myself tumble over the edge as he fills me with his seed, calling my name. He reluctantly pulls out, then lays down on the bed with his head on my chest. I immediately start playing with his hair.

"There aren't words for how happy you make me Tris."

"When we do what we just did you certainly show me." I reply and I feel him chuckling against me.

"Its only ever been you baby. There's never been anyone else that makes me feel the way you do. No one ever will." He says.

"I love you Eric." I reply. Within minutes I hear my husbands soft snores. I continue to play with his hair, and think about how incredibly lucky I am until I finally drift off too.


	16. A Black Tie Affair

**This chapter starts with a three month time skip from where the last chapter ended. Thank you all for the reviews, follows and PM's. I appreciate you all so much!**

Chapter 16: A Black Tie Affair

Eric POV

Tris is not a morning person. If I've learned nothing else about my wife during our time together it is that she absolutely hates being woken up. Especially now that's she's in her second trimester, and her morning sickness thus far has been hell. So, I lay here with my gorgeous naked wife sleeping with her head on my chest and I twirl some of her silky blonde hair around my fingers while I check my email on my tablet.

Things have been incredibly busy. After initiation, Max decided to add another leadership position, he's actually thinking of retiring and he wants to be sure he leaves me with a full house. Rayne being first in her class was his intended target, so now we officially have three leaders in training. Although, Four is about to be moved into leader status, he just doesn't know it yet. Max hasn't decided yet if Tris will be happy to not have two trainees at the same time, or pissed that Four's breaking her record of shortest time from leader in training to leader. Not only has Tris' morning sickness been hell, but her hormones are all over the place, and the chances of her yelling at you over nothing in particular are high. One perk of pregnancy hormones is that our already overactive sex life has reached new heights. I certainly have no complaints in that department, although it's given our friends so much more material to use when giving us shit.

Today is New Years Eve, one of the few holidays that are celebrated in full force in Dauntless, and it's also Zeke and Shauna's wedding day. Based on what we've seen so far this is going to be quite the event. They opted for an evening wedding, black tie, and Shauna asked the girls to pick out their own bridesmaid dresses which sent Tris into a dress searching tizzy. She even managed to exhaust Christina, which I had thought to be impossible, but Tris is convinced that her tiny and completely unnoticeable baby bump is going to ruin her whole outfit. I find my wife's changing body incredibly sexy and I can't keep my hands off of her, but apparently I'm biased.

"Are you working?" Tris asks in her adorable sleepy voice.

"Just catching up on email." I reply before kissing her forehead. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, I was having an awesome dream though." She takes my hand and guides it to her soaking wet folds. "But, if you'd rather work, I can take care of myself."

Have I mentioned how much I love pregnancy hormones?

"I don't know babe, I'm really hungry. Starving actually." I move my hand from between her legs and suck my fingers clean. "I may need to have breakfast." I crawl down between her smooth thighs, spread them wide and flick my tongue across her clit, before gently sucking on it. I swirl my tongue around it, teasing Tris relentlessly.

"Oh, you can have all the breakfast you want." She moans and tugs on my hair until I move back up to her breasts, running my tongue around each hard nipple. "I don't ever want my man to do without the most important meal of the day." She runs her hand down to her slit, takes her index finger and inserts it, and quickly adds a second finger while looking at me with her hooded eyes.

"Fuck baby. I'm gonna cum just by watching you." I say. She smiles and removes her fingers and touches them to my lips. I quickly suck them into my mouth before settling back between her thighs.

"I don't mind if you watch, but I surely don't want you to go hungry." She replies breathily.

I immediately thrust my tongue inside of her, then work my way up to her clit. I move my mouth and insert two fingers in her. "Baby, why don't you help me?" I whisper and she moves her hand down and starts to slowly rub her clit. I move so that I'm sitting on my knees and I scoot towards her to kiss her. She quickly thrusts her tongue in my mouth and dominates our kiss. I feel her other hand reach out for my cock, and she begins to stroke me. I move my free hand on top of hers so we're stroking me together and I can tell by the way she's moving her hips and clenching on my fingers that's she's close to her own release.

"Eric I want to watch you cum." She whispers and moves her hand off of my cock and uses it to massage my balls. I pick up the pace on stroking myself.

"I want to watch you too baby. Cum for me." We stare into each other's eyes, both darkened with desire. I feel her walls start to tighten around my fingers and she bucks her hips while calling my name. My release follows quickly behind hers. "Sorry, I made a mess." I pant. I reach over the side of the bed to grab my boxers and use them to clean Tris up before collapsing beside her.

"How have we never done that before? Fuck. I came so hard." I say.

"Pregnancy hormones baby. I swear they're making me dream of all kinds of kinky stuff." She replies, rolling so she's laying on my chest again.

"You realize as soon as you have this baby I'm knocking you up again, right?"

She laughs against my chest. "Lets make it through this one first."

"It's been awhile since we've been able to fool around in the morning. You feeling better?" I ask.

"Yeah, surprisingly I feel great. Wanna come fuck me in the shower?"

"Do you really even need to ask?" I reply and we race to the bathroom.

One shower, two orgasms and forty five minutes later, I'm flat on my back in our bed while my wife rides me and we're both close to cumming again.

"Fuck Eric, I love you." She pants before shattering around me. I grip her hips and thrust into her until I hit my own release. She lays beside me, out of breath and sweaty. "I'm gonna have to take another shower eventually. I'm supposed to meet the girls in a little over an hour."

"Yeah, I have to meet Zeke and everyone else soon too."

"One more time?" Tris asks me with a wicked grin.

"Oh yeah, then an actual shower." I reply before devouring her mouth.

Another forty five minutes later, Tris is dressed in yoga pants and one of my old v neck sweaters, and I've thrown on training pants and a tshirt. I watch as she braids her wet hair.

"What?" She asks, grinning at my reflection in the mirror.

"Sometimes I can't believe you're mine." I answer. I wrap my arms around her waist and put my hands on her tiny bump. "And you're giving me the best gift I could ever ask for."

She turns around and puts her arms around my neck. "I love you so much. We love you." She grins.

"I'll walk you to Christina's" I say while grabbing her hand. "All your stuff is already there, right?"

"Yes." She threads her fingers through mine and we walk upstairs to Chris and Will's. Before she can finish knocking, I turn her around so she's facing me and start kissing her senseless. The door is thrown open and Chris scowls.

"Jesus you two, come up for air. Don't get her all flushed, I need to do her makeup!" Chris admonishes.

"Maybe later." Tris replies before planting a chaste kiss on my lips.

"Skip the panties." I whisper in her ear and bite it.

"I heard that." Chris says before dragging Tris inside. "Get outta here before she jumps you."

Tris blows me a kiss and I head over to Zeke's apartment and let myself in. Everyone is on the L shaped couch, drinking beer.

"This is so much more relaxed than Christina's." I say before grabbing a bottle from the fridge.

"The girls are going nuts." Will replies. "Chris has been so wound up, you'd think it was her own wedding." He laughs.

"Ray has been obsessing over her hair all morning. I mean, how can wet hair be ruined? It's not even done yet." Four asks.

"Shauna threatened to kill me six times already." Zeke replies.

"Marlene told me if I didn't stop talking to her that she was going to cut my tongue out." Uri adds.

I just laugh and shake my head, then take a swig of my beer.

"What, no war stories Coulter?" Will asks.

"Nope. I've had a great day." I reply with a grin.

"How many times?" Uri asks with a toothy smile. "Come on man, we have to live vicariously through you."

"More than one, that's all you get." I laugh when everyone shakes their heads.

"Man, I wish I had of married Tris. Why couldn't I have been the lucky drunk fool?" Uri asks while Zeke cracks up.

"Uriah, you seriously disturb me. You say she's like a sister, then always say shit like that." Four says.

"So Abnegation boy, how about Rayne? You're living together now, any hot stories to share?" Zeke asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Not happening." He replies.

"You're not getting any?" Uri asks.

"I'm getting plenty, I'm just not discussing those details with you." He replies.

"Getting more than Eric?" Zeke asks.

Four blushes, which makes all of us laugh. "He has an unfair advantage with the hormonal wife, but I can say we give them a run for their money." He smirks before taking a swig of his beer.

We all reply with whistles and catcalls. "It's about time you broke out of that damn shell of yours." Zeke replies, slapping Four on the back.

"Will, my man, you're awfully quiet." Four says.

"Well, let's just say I also have an unfair advantage." He says quickly, then takes a long draw from his beer.

"What kind of advantage?" Uri asks.

"A hormonal one?" I ask.

"Most definitely." Will grins.

"No fucking way. She's pregnant?" Four asks.

"Yeah, she's two and a half months along. She's telling the girls today so I figured I'd tell you guys. She was trying to hold out until she made it past the first trimester, but she couldn't keep it a secret anymore." He smiles wide.

"That's great man, congrats!" I say, slapping him on the back. Zeke, Four and Uri all offer their congratulations.

"Holy shit man, we've got two, almost three married couples, one engaged couple and two babies on the way. Four, you need to step up your game." Uriah yells.

"I've got the ring, I'm just trying to figure out how to ask her." He replies.

"No shit?" I ask.

"No shit." He smiles.

"That's awesome man. Really. How are you thinking of doing it?" Zeke asks.

"Well, not while drunk, Will and Eric kind of cornered the market on that. Definitely not after watching someone cheat on their girlfriend, Zeke nailed that one. And Uri, you had the perfect engagement after Marlene told you exactly how to do it." Four laughs while we all flick him off.

"Is there somewhere special for you two, what about the first place you kissed her?" Zeke asks.

"Can't do it there. Ray and I first kissed while hiding in one of the Ferris wheel cars during capture the flag. Then, on the way back to the compound Ray was almost in tears when some of the Dauntless borns went on and on about Tris and me climbing the stupid thing during her initiation. Ray and I had a whole conversation about that afterward." He replies, shaking his head.

"What about the first place you told her you love her?" I ask.

"I wasn't very romantic with that. It kind of slipped out during an argument in my kitchen."

"Seriously man, you suck at romance. Do you need a handbook or something?" Zeke asks with a smirk.

"It's not like that asshole." Four replies. "You guys are no help."

"Well, I actually did propose to Tris. Granted it was after we were already married, but I got the ring and did it right. I took her to the first place we met, which was the roof. We didn't have those special spots for other firsts, but that was where I first saw her and I remembered how beautiful and fierce she was when she stepped up to jump. So, how about where you first saw Rayne?" I ask.

"Fuck. That's actually pretty genius. The net. Pulling her from the net after she jumped." He smiles.

"Eric, for a cold hearted bastard you come up with some decent shit." Zeke replies.

"Thanks, I think?"

"I think it's funny you chose the roof. You weren't exactly super friendly to her that day." Uri replies

"Yeah I'm pretty sure you were rude to her." Will laughs.

I laugh. "Well, yeah, I'm usually a prick during initiation. But that doesn't mean she went unnoticed."

"I guess we should get dressed. I'm getting married today!" Zeke yells.

"Lets do this." Will replies and we all head to get changed.

We finally make our way to the garden, which up until two days ago I never knew existed. It's more like a greenhouse, since it's enclosed under a huge dome of windows, but it's massive and impressive. Chris found out that this garden area was only available for leaders and she had Will reserve it for the wedding. I'm a guy, so flowers and shit don't usually impress me, but this place is beyond beautiful. Chris outdid herself on the planning, there are twinkling lights lined all around and across the dome providing the only light source for the ceremony. The walkway is lined with small lanterns, and each row of seats has a matching lantern on the opposite end. The ceremony itself will be in front of this massive weeping willow tree, which also has tons of twinkling lights hanging from it. Looking around, it makes me wonder if Tris would have wanted something like this.

"It's something else, huh?" Will asks.

"Yeah. Your wife is pretty damn amazing. Don't ever tell her I said that." We both chuckle.

"It makes me think she regrets not having a wedding." He replies.

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing about Tris. Has Christina ever mentioned it?" I ask.

"Not once. She was really excited to do the planning for this one. Marlene has already asked her to do theirs too. I think she's happier planning the events than being the focus of the event."

"She's really good at it. Our party was great, and Max said she planned that in less than 48 hours." I reply.

Will nods. "She has a talent for it, that's for sure. So, I gotta ask, are you nervous about being a dad?"

"A little. It's not like Erudite parents are the most loving examples." He nods in agreeance. "And Tris being raised in Abnegation gives her a different perspective too, but I'm more excited than anything. I never thought I'd be a father. How about you?"

"Man, when Chris first told me she was pregnant I thought I was going to pass out. But, I have to admit I'm pretty excited. We made a person. It amazes me. Seeing that little blip on the ultrasound screen made it so real. Do you want a boy or girl?"

"Either really. There's a small part of me that hopes for a little girl who looks like Tris, but then I remember they turn into teenagers and the thought of having to protect someone as gorgeous as my wife from assholes like me scares the shit out of me."

Will laughs. "Exactly. I'm hoping for a boy for that reason. If we have a daughter that looks like Chris I'll never get any sleep."

"We're pretty much doomed."

"Alright guys, I'm about to go take my place up front. Chris is looking to get you all lined up with the girls." Zeke says with a huge grin. "I'm fucking getting married boys!"

"Damn right you are." I say and Will claps him on the back.

Will and I walk over to the tent where the girls are. I see Shauna and she looks amazing. I walk over and give her a kiss on the cheek.

"You look beautiful. Zeke is one lucky guy."

"Eric Coulter, stop being nice to me, you're going to make me cry." She replies before giving me a hug.

"I speak the truth."

I smile and look around for my wife. I see her standing next to Chris, and she looks stunning. I never saw the dress she picked out, but seeing it now makes me know it was worth her stress. It's black, just like the other girls, but it looks like it's made with shiny threads. It has long sleeves and it stops right above her knee, and I can already tell by how much of her back is exposed that she's not wearing a bra. She turns away from Christina and I see the front view. It has a low neckline that shows off her raven tattoos, and just a hint of cleavage. It hugs her curves just slightly, but the way everything fits her it's almost like she was dipped in a shimmery dark liquid. Her hair is once again in one of those fancy side braids, just like Chris did for our party, and her makeup just accentuates her natural beauty. The only exception are her lips, which are now stained in a deep red color that reminds me of red wine, which matches the red heels that I'm sure she was forced to wear. I really would love to see her wearing nothing but those shoes later. She begins to walk towards me and I meet her in the middle. I wrap my arms around her, resting my hands on her exposed back and I lean in to whisper in her ear.

"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. God Tris, you are perfect."

She kisses me softly. "You look exceptionally handsome in a tux. I can't believe you are my husband."

"Ok everyone! I need Uri and Marlene up first, then Four and Rayne, Eric and Tris and Will and me. Shauna, you and Harrison should start walking when the music changes, just like at rehearsal last night. Let's get you married!" Chris exclaims and the girls all squeal.

Uri and Marlene start their walk down the isle, then Chris signals Four and Rayne down. Tris and I step up and wait for Chris to signal us.

"This is my first time walking you down an isle." I whisper to Tris. She looks up at me and grins.

"Ok Coulter's get moving!" Chris grins at us.

Tris and I make our way down the isle and when we get to the front our hands linger together until we have to drop them. The rest of the wedding party makes their way down the isle and we hear the music change and see Shauna on Harrison's arm. I glance over at Zeke and the crazy fool who is usually all smiles is actually crying.

Max performs the ceremony and Zeke and Shauna read vows to each other that they've written. I keep sneaking glances at Tris, and every time I look over I'm met with her beautiful hazel eyes. At this moment I would swear that I am the luckiest man in the world to be able to call that perfect woman mine. I'm brought back to reality when I hear Max pronounce Zeke and Shauna man and wife and calls for him to kiss his bride. Zeke lays the mother of all kisses on Shauna while the crowd whistles and when they break apart they make their way back down their isle. Once it's our turn, I offer Tris my arm and escort my beautiful wife down the isle. Chris has a whole team of people converting the wedding space into the reception space, adding tables and a portable dance floor. It's facinating to watch them work. While the crowd all mingles amongst themselves, food is brought in and set up, along with a portable bar and a DJ sets up to provide the music. We watch as Chris gives out directions and places people like she's choreographing a show.

"She could charge admission just to watch this." Tris says from beside me.

"I agree. This is facinating." I reply. I feel her hand brush down my arm and her fingers entwine with mine. I bring her hand up to my lips, kissing each of her knuckles and then kissing where my name and our wedding date is tattooed around her left ring finger. We both still wear our wedding rings, but below each are our tattoos, signifying the permanent commitment we've made to each other.

"Did Will mention any news?" She asks me casually.

"Maybe." I grin at her. "Did Chris?"

"Maybe." She returns the grin. "My best friend and I are pregnant together."

"You two do everything together. Join Dauntless, jump from trains to roofs, get married, have babies, what's next?" I ask.

"No idea, but I love it! I finally have someone to commiserate with, especially when my boobs hurt and my ankles are swollen."

"I'm always here for your boobs babe." I quip.

"What about my ankles?"

"I've gotta leave something for Chris." I reply before nipping her ear. "By the way, I love your hair." I tug lightly on the end of her elaborate braid. I put my lips right next to her ear "I'm especially going to love messing it up later."

I can feel the shiver go through Tris and I smirk at her. "You behave. I can't disappear yet. Later though, you're all mine." She replies while kissing behind my ear. Now it's my turn to shiver. She looks at me with a satisfied grin.

"I'm warning you, if you wake him you're responsible for putting him back to sleep. And he's definitely stirring." I whisper to her.

"What are you two over here plotting?" Four asks as he and Rayne walk over to us.

"Just enjoying the show." Tris replies, gesturing out to where the crew is putting their finishing touches on everything.

"It is really neat to watch them work." Rayne comments.

"You look lovely Rayne." I remark taking in her long black strapless dress.

"Thank you. You clean up pretty well yourself."

"Thanks." I grin.

"May I have your attention please? I'd like to introduce you to our happy couple and their wedding party." The DJ announces, while introducing each of us and inviting us to the reception. We're soon seated at a long table facing the other guests while dinner is being served to us.

I take advantage of the fancy table coverings that are blocking the view of us from the waist down to trace my hand up and down Tris's bare thigh. She sighs contentedly and leans against my arm. We enjoy a tasty meal and soon were being served champagne or sparkling cider. Tris and I both opt for the cider, and soon Uri has grabbed the mic for the best man toast.

"My big brother, man do we have some embarrassing stories I could tell, but tonight I won't. Instead I'm gonna tell everyone a different story. The night before my brothers choosing ceremony he was so nervous and scared. Two things that are never associated with a Pedrad, and especially not with my brother. I thought he was nervous about what he was going to choose the next day, but I was wrong. He was nervous that Shauna was going to leave before he'd gathered enough courage to finally tell her he had a huge crush on her. I thought the happiest I'd ever seen him was the next day when Shauna chose to stay in Dauntless, but it was replaced by the day she agreed to marry him. It might be replaced again by the way he looks today. Shauna, I've never seen my brother love anything like he loves you, and we can all see why. Welcome to our family sis, and I hope you two have a lifetime of happiness." Uriah says and we all toast to that.

"Damn. I never thought Uri would make me cry." Tris whispers to me while Four snickers from her other side. "Shut up asshole." She growls at him pinching his thigh.

"Fuck you're mean." He says to Tris.

Rayne laughs "I've tried to tell you not to mess with the pregnant woman."

"I've learned my lesson already." I chuckle and Tris huffs.

"Whatever."

Marlene grabs the mic from Uriah and nervously begins to speak. "Shauna, my best friend and future sister in law, and the only other person on earth that knows how incredibly difficult it is to love one of these crazy Pedrad brothers. We've been friends since we were kids and I can't remember a time where you didn't love Zeke. You two are a testament of childhood sweethearts who belong together, and I'm so proud to be a part of your special day. I don't think I've ever seen you as happy and as beautiful as you are tonight. So, my best friends, here's to being sweethearts for the rest of your lives. I love you both so much!"

I glance over at Tris and she's wiping tears from her eyes with her napkin. "Don't say a word." She warns.

"I wouldn't dare." I reply before putting my arm around her and kissing her temple.

We watch as Shauna and Zeke have their first dance as a married couple. Tris leans over to me and whispers "We haven't danced since the night we got married."

"You're right, we haven't. And we weren't married then." I whisper back.

"Is it cheesy that I'm super excited to dance with you?"

"Nope." I reply with a grin. She gives me a quick peck on the lips.

Soon the DJ beckons the rest of the wedding party to join the happy couple on the dance floor. I lead Tris over and we start swaying to the slow love song that's playing. I have one hand clasped in hers pressed to my chest, while the other rests on her lower back. In her heels, she's close to eye level with me. We share chaste kisses while dancing.

"Our first dance as a married couple." I whisper in her ear and feel her smile against my neck. She plants a soft kiss there before picking her head back up and looking into my eyes.

"It's a good one too." She says before taking her hands and wrapping them around my shoulders while I put both of my hands on her lower back.

I'm not sure how many songs pass, but Tris and I keep dancing while holding each other close and whispering in each other's ears. We're brought out of our bubble by Uriah cutting in.

"May I? He asks and I nod. I kiss my wife on her cheek and head over to our table. I see Christina looking lonely while Will is dancing with Marlene.

"Come on Candor." I say, holding out my hand to her. She grins at me and takes it. We head out to the dance floor. "You've done a great job with this wedding. You have a real knack for this stuff." I say to her and she smiles.

"Thanks. Are you drunk? You're never this nice to me." She laughs.

"Nope, sober. I try not to drink when she can't." I gesture over to Tris and see her laughing at whatever antics Uriah is up to.

"You guys are great together, you know?" She says. "I know a lot of people didn't think you guys would last a week, heck I was one of those people that first day I heard the news, but you guys are really fucking great."

"Thanks, seriously. I know how much you love Tris, and to hear you say that it means something." I reply. "Before I forget, congratulations."

"So Will actually told you all? I was afraid he wouldn't." She replies.

"Yeah he told us all at Zeke's place. Why wouldn't he?"

"I'm not sure that he's happy about it." She replies quietly.

"He is. Will's a pretty subdued guy, not overly demonstrative. He's happy though Chris. He and I actually chatted about it one on one before the ceremony started. He's especially nervous to potentially have a daughter that looks like you." I smirk. "He'd have to keep his weapon ready at all times."

She laughs a genuine laugh. "I'm glad to hear he talked to you about it. I've been so nervous, but it's good that you and he are going through this at the same time. You can give him advice on how to make me not want to kill him." She smiles.

"You want to kill me most days, do you think it's wise for me to be advising your husband?"

"Good point." She chuckles.

"May I steal my wife from you?" Will asks.

"But of course. Thank you for the dance Candor." I say.

"You're welcome Nose." She grins. I look around for Tris and see her dancing with Four. I decide to head back to the table and sit for awhile. Soon, Rayne plops down next to me and starts taking her shoes off.

"Fucking heels." She groans.

"I've never heard you curse Amity." I quirk my eyebrow at her.

"Well now you have." She quips. "I don't know how women wear these on a regular basis."

"You sound like Tris. If she could wear combat boots for the rest of her life she'd be ecstatic."

"That's a girl after my own heart." She grins.

We sit together in silence for a minute or so, just watching the dance floor before Rayne starts talking again. "This might be too personal, so feel free not to answer. Does that bother you?" She nods her head to where Tris and Four are dancing. They're definitely close to each other, and if you didn't know better you'd think they were a couple based on their body language.

"It did for awhile when Tris and I first got together. Does it bother you?" I ask.

"Sometimes. I don't know why I get jealous of them. It's stupid." She replies.

"What bothers you about it? Feel free not to answer anything personal."

"Well, she has parts of him that I'll never have. She was his first everything. He was my first, well, I was a virgin before him. I'd kissed before, so not that but he's my first love and all too. She had all of that with him." She replies shyly. "Doesn't it bother you at all?"

"Not really. I had my eye on Tris from the moment she jumped off the roof." Rayne's eyes widen at that comment. "Back then, I was caught up in a shitstorm trying to stop a war. So I lost her to Four. I sat back and watched that for over a year, and for the last 6 months of it I actually gave her relationship advice on how to possibly fix their issues. I was in love with her, but trying to help her fix a relationship that was completely broken. Stupid huh?"

"Not stupid per se, but possibly masochistic." She giggles.

"Probably. So yeah while I was pining away for her, he was her first for a lot: kiss, relationship, sexual partner and even their idea of love. But, I'd say it's much more important to be someone's last rather than their first."

"I'd never thought of it that way." She replies. "Damn. You are good at relationship advice. They must have really been screwed."

We both break out in laughter. "You're pretty funny Amity."

"Thanks Nose!"

"Really, does everyone know that now?"

"What are you two over here laughing about?" Four asks, sitting next to Rayne and pulling her feet onto his lap.

"Eric finds it funny that someone from Amity not only curses but had a sense of humor."

"Noses are too busy studying to bother with any of that." Tris says, sitting on my lap.

"Everyone's a comedian now huh?" I ask in mock annoyance.

"Come dance with me beautiful." Four extends his hand to his girlfriend and she readily accepts, heading out to the dance floor barefoot.

"I really love you, you know?" Tris says while kissing the tip of my nose.

"I know. I really love you too." I reply kissing her lips.

We sit together sharing kisses and occasionally watching the rest of the party. I'm idly rubbing Tris's thighs where her dress has ridden up slightly. She uncrosses her legs and turns so she's facing me.

"I have a secret." She whispers in my ear.

"Oh really? What is it?" I ask.

"I lost my panties." She purrs while kissing me behind my ear.

"Are you sure? Maybe I should check." I scoot us so were blocked completely by the table and slide my hand up her dress, dipping my finger into her wet folds. "I can't seem to find them." I whisper against her ear while pushing one finger into her. "Wherever could they be?" I start to pump my finger in and out while using my thumb to circle her clit. She lets out a small moan and I capture her lips with my own. "Shhh baby, someone might hear you." I add a second finger and she sits up a little straighter and looks around quickly. No one is paying any attention to us as the countdown to the new year has begun.

"Eric this is so fucking hot." She whispers before kissing me softly and biting my lower lip. I keep pumping my fingers harder while playing with her clit. She leans her head on my shoulder and I can feel her walls start to clench around my fingers. She looks up at me and kisses me, fighting the urge to deepen the kiss. She moans into my mouth and her breathing hitches. Once she's stopped clenching down on my fingers, I slowly remove them from her. I look her straight in the eyes when I put my fingers into my mouth and slowly suck them.

"Happy New Year, Mrs. Coulter."

"Happy New Year, Mr. Coulter. That was the best New Years kiss ever." She grins.

I pull her face to mine and give her a slow kiss which she quickly deepens. She then puts her legs across my lap and lays her head on my shoulder. I rub her back while she whispers in my ear how much she loves me and how happy I make her. It's official, I'm the luckiest son of a bitch in the world.


	17. Family Meetings

Chapter 17: Family Meetings

Tris POV

"We are not fighting about this. I'm going to this meeting." I say, while my husband paces back and forth in front of my desk.

"I'm not trying to fight. You're five months pregnant, should you really be jumping off and on trains?" Eric asks.

"You were there when Dr. Morgan said I could. My only physical limitation is training. Eric, please. I want to see my brother and dad, and they're both going to be at this one. They don't even know we're having a baby."

Eric hasn't wanted me going to a leadership meeting since the shooting. We've avoided some arguments only due to logistics - for awhile I wasn't medically cleared for full duty, then I was responsible for training both Four and Rayne, but today he's out of excuses. With Four moving into an official leadership position along with me being pregnant and unable to do physical training with Rayne, Max decided to move her training to Four, so I officially have no additional responsibilities.

"Tris, I'm just worried. I can't help it. Could we compromise? Do you mind if I come with you? I know Max wanted Four to bring Rayne to this meeting, but I'd feel better if I were there with you. Can we do that?" He asks.

"Of course we can. Babe, I want you there when we make our announcement." He finally stops pacing and looks at me with a relieved smile. "Let's go catch Max before he leaves though, I want to make sure he's ok with it being just Will and him here tomorrow."

Eric nods and offers his hand to help me up, and we walk over to Max's office. "Come on in Coulter's. Have a seat. What can I do for you?" He asks, peering over his reading glasses.

"Max, my overprotective husband would like to accompany me to the meeting tomorrow. Would that be an issue since Four and Rayne are already going?" I ask.

"Well, considering you are carrying my unofficial grandchild, you're likely going to be stuck with either him or me hovering until he or she is born. And to answer your question, Will and I will be just fine here tomorrow without you all. Besides, if Johanna doesn't get to see you soon she may actually burst." He says with a laugh.

"Thanks Max, we appreciate it." Eric replies.

"Considering your constant avoidance at going to anything in Amity, I'm quite looking forward to hearing how your visit goes." Max smirks at Eric.

"Shit. I forgot this ones in Amity. The things I do for love." He replies with an exaggerated eye roll and I giggle.

"This is going to be awesome. Thanks again Max, and goodnight." I say as Eric and I get up to leave.

"I just need to lock up and I'll be ready. Want to just eat in the cafeteria tonight? I don't feel like cooking." I ask.

"Sounds good." He replies. We lock our offices and head down to the cafeteria. After getting our trays, we find Rayne, Four and Will sitting together and join them.

"Hey everyone." I say. "Where's Chris?" I ask Will.

"She's not feeling so good. She's got the all day morning sickness like you had. She basically forced me to come down here and eat because she can't stand the smell of food right now." He replies.

"Poor thing. I hated days like those. Should I go up and see her?" I ask.

"I wouldn't recommend it, she wanted sleep and warned me if I woke her up she would maim me." He chuckles.

"Ah yes, I don't miss those days at all." Eric replies.

"I'm never having kids. You all scare me." Rayne says while laughing.

"You say that now, once you get to hold one of them you're going to be hooked." I reply. She just shakes her head and laughs. I glance over at Four and I can see he's overly tense. We make eye contact and I quirk an eyebrow up at him. He nods his head.

"I'll be right back, your baby is lounging on my bladder." I whisper to Eric and kiss his cheek. I give Four another look and he nods again.

I walk out of the cafeteria and wait outside the doors, soon Four comes out and we walk towards the short hallway where the restrooms are.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"I'm a nervous wreck. I have the ring, I've had it for over two months now but I can't seem to ask her. I'm afraid she doesn't want to be married." He says, stumbling over his words.

"Tobias, she loves you. Stop worrying. Have you figured out where you want to do it?"

"Yeah, the net. Eric actually suggested to take her where we met. I liked that idea a lot."

"That's perfect. Do you have the ring with you?" I ask.

"I haven't stopped carrying it since I bought it." He replies.

"Do it tonight, after dinner. Ask her to go for a walk. It's perfect, especially since we're going to Amity tomorrow, so she'll be able to show it off to Johanna and possibly even her family if she catches them there." I say and he grins.

"I didn't think about that. Ok, I'm going to do it. Wish me luck." He says.

"You don't need luck. She adores you, and you are an amazing person. Stop second guessing yourself." I reply. He gives me a tight hug.

"You go in first, I told them I had to run to my office because I forgot my phone. Thank you Tris."

"You're welcome Tobias. Be brave my love." I reply with a smile, which he quickly returns.

I return to the cafeteria and slide back into my seat next to Eric.

"How bad is he?" He whispers.

"How'd you know?" I whisper back.

"You two have your own secret language, but I am fluent in it." He grins.

"He's gonna do it tonight, after dinner." I grin back at him and he kisses me softly.

"Sorry about that." Four says returning to the table. "I'm always forgetting something."

"Christina does too, she says its pregnancy brain." Will remarks.

"That is a real thing." I reply and I see Eric nodding next to me.

"See, still not convincing me." Rayne chimes in.

"Ray, wanna go for a walk before going home?" Four asks casually.

"Sure. See you all later. Oh what time do we need to be at the train?"

"8:00" Eric replies.

"Ok, see you then. Goodnight." Rayne waves.

Once they have left the cafeteria Will looks at me. "Is he finally doing it?"

"Wow, does everyone know?" I ask.

"Well he's kind of been a nervous wreck all day. He spent a good portion of this afternoon in my office trying to plan out how he was going to do it." Will replies.

"You two had it so easy. You just got us drunk." I quip and Eric coughs next to me.

"Next time warn me so I'm not choking on my water."

"Ok, on that note I better head upstairs. I wish I knew what I could bring Chris to eat."

"Take her some chocolate cake, white milk and a piece of pizza with sausage and green peppers, but put the pizza in the fridge and give her the cake and milk first, and once the pizza is cold give her that." I reply.

"Seriously?" He asks.

"Trust me. Not only will she love it, you will get awesome benefits." I reply with a smile. "Oh and one of those pickles from the barrel too, and give her that after the cake but before the pizza. Actually, I need one of those pickles right now."

"I'll get you one. Thanks Tris." Will grins.

"I'm seriously considering asking them to order a barrel of those damn things for the apartment. You are hooked on them." Eric says.

"God they're so good. You just don't get it." I reply, as I see Will bringing me a pickle and a slice of cake.

"Oh my gosh, I love you. How'd you know I needed cake with my pickle?" I ask.

"Had a hunch. Goodnight all." He says before heading back in to get Chris' food.

"So, after the meeting tomorrow, I'd like to take you somewhere. Are you willing to spend a little extra time in Amity?" Eric asks.

"You, Eric Coulter, want to spend extra time in Amity?"

"Am I really that much of an asshole?" He asks.

"You hate Amity." I reply.

"But I love you. So is it a date?"

"Of course it is." I reply. "Let's go home, I'm tired and our couch is calling my name."

We gather our trays and return them before heading back to our apartment. Once inside I plop down on the couch and take my boots off of my aching feet. Eric sits next to me and pulls my feet onto his lap for a massage. He turns the TV on and we idly watch a movie while relaxing.

"So, Marlene had an idea for Chris and me. You know how she wants to throw us a joint baby shower since we're only about a month apart?"

"Yeah, what about it?" He asks.

"Her idea is to do a gender reveal to everyone at our shower. By doing something like making us open a box with pink or blue balloons inside, or bringing out a cake with the color theme, stuff like that. Apparently that's what Chris wanted to do, so instead of her and Will finding out the sex of the baby at their next appointment, she is going to have them tell Marlene."

"Are you ok with that? I know we had talked about waiting." He asks.

"It's definitely cute and fun. Besides, I'm the one who wanted to wait. You didn't fool me." I grin.

"I've been good and haven't asked about it, but if you do have them tell Marlene I can always threaten her to find out. She's still scared of me." He replies, then makes one of his famous glare faces.

"You're such an ass. I'll text Marlene now to let her know we're in."

The next thing I know I'm being lifted up and carried. "What happened?" I ask.

"You fell asleep on the couch. We're going to bed." Eric whispers as he sits me down on the bed. "You want pajamas?"

I shake my head no. "Just wanna take everything off." He helps me get undressed and tucked in before he undresses and slips in beside me. He wraps himself behind me and pulls me to his chest so he can rub his hand over my belly. I'm soon fast asleep.

 _We're on the train, alone, and I'm straddling Eric and riding him hard while he grips my waist. I can feel the way my swollen clit grazes his pelvic bone and it's making me feel like I'm on fire. All I can do is concentrate on the way my bundled nerves feel rubbing against him..._

I wake up, blinking my eyes several times to adjust to the slight bit of sunlight coming in through our window. I still feel the same sensation that I did in my dream. It takes me a second to realize my husbands face is buried between my thighs.

"Oh Eric, I thought I was dreaming." I moan. He chuckles softly while sucking hard on my clit, then moving his tongue down so he can plunge it inside of me. He replaces his tongue with his fingers.

"You were dreaming baby, your sounds woke me up and turned me on. You taste so good." He says before returning his attention to my swollen bundle of nerves. The sensation is too much and I quickly cum, tightening my thighs around Eric while calling his name. Eric wipes his face on my inner thigh and I pull him up to my mouth, plunging my tongue into his and tasting myself on him.

He turns us so we're both laying on our sides and positions himself between my legs. He wraps one of my legs over top of his hip and with one thrust he's buried inside of me. This new position is nothing we've ever done before, and the sensation of having him So deep is overwhelming. He grips right below my ass while he pumps into me, and our kisses grow frantic. I can't get enough of the way his mouth tastes. He tries to kiss my neck and I pull his face back to mine. I can feel him smile against my lips before slipping his tongue inside of my mouth.

"Baby, I'm not gonna be able to last long, this feels way too good." He whispers against my mouth. I slide my free hand in between us and start rubbing my clit while he pumps into me harder. I can feel his thighs start to tense and I know he's close. My orgasm rushes over me, and I clench onto his cock inside of me as he releases. He doesn't move, we lay together with our foreheads touching while catching our breath.

"That was one hell of a wake up call." I say and he smiles.

"The noises you were making in your sleep were so fucking hot. You kept calling my name and whimpering. I couldn't help myself."

"These dreams are an almost every day thing. I never knew pregnancy would make me like this." I chuckle.

"I am perfectly fine with it. I'll take the crazy cravings and you making me go find cake and pickles at all hours any day, it's a fair trade for the mind blowing sex we keep having."

"Deal." I reply before grabbing his bottom lip with my teeth. He growls.

"As much as I'd like to continue whatever it is you're about to start, we have to get up and get ready for this meeting. I'm going to take a shower, and you are welcome to join but I must warn you we only have time to shower." He replies before jumping out of bed. God he has the sexiest body I've ever seen.

"Ok, I can do that." I follow behind him. After we're both under the cascading water, he begins to shampoo his hair and I decide to multitask by taking his hard cock into my mouth.

"Tris, fuck..." He moans while I bob up and down on his length, hollowing my cheeks to suck hard while swallowing each time he hits my throat, doing all of the things I know drive him wild. I already know he won't be able to last long enough to argue with me. I start pumping my own fingers inside of me, and within minutes we are both cumming hard. I swallow before removing my mouth from my husband and then I stand up to shampoo my hair.

"Seriously that just happened?" He asks wide eyed.

"Mind scrubbing my back?" I ask innocently handing him my soapy poof. He just shakes his head and smiles.

"I'm the luckiest bastard in the world." He chuckles while scrubbing my back.

After our shower we quickly dry off and get dressed. I don't have enough time to dry my hair, so I braid it and decide I can take it out on the train. I finish my makeup and we head out to the train tracks with plenty of time to spare. Four and Rayne are already there.

"Hey, good morning you two." I say, smiling at them. Rayne has her hands in her jacket pockets, but the look on Tobias' face tells me everything.

"Good morning." Rayne says with a huge smile. "Ok, I can't wait." She pulls her hand out and shows me the ring. "We're gonna get married!" She yells.

"Its about damn time." Eric says before slapping Four on the back. I hug Rayne and then I take a closer look at her ring.

"It's beautiful! I'm so happy for you two." I say. I grab Four and give him a hug.

"Thank you" he whispers in my ear. I pull back and smile.

"Congrats guys, this is awesome news. Does anyone else know?" I ask.

"Not yet, you two are the first." Four replies.

"I just couldn't wait till we got back. I'm so excited. I can't wait to see Johanna. I hope my parents come to lunch. Oh my goodness you can meet them. I'm so excited." Rayne rambles while we all laugh. Soon the train arrives and we jump on easily. Eric wraps his arms around me from behind.

"We have all kinds of news huh?" Four remarks before kissing his fiance's hand.

"That we do." Eric replies while running his hands around my belly.

"I can't believe how tiny you still are. No one would believe you are over halfway through with your pregnancy." Rayne says.

"Dr. Morgan says I'm all baby. I literally have only gained six pounds. I was worried at first because I eat like crazy, but he said it was perfectly normal."

"You're the cutest pregnant woman ever." She grins at me.

We jump off the train in Amity, and the four of us head towards the main building of the compound. We soon find Caleb milling around the small crowd of leaders.

"Bea." He smiles before giving me a hug. "It's been too long. How are you?" He asks.

"I'm great. How are things with you?" I ask.

"Good, no complaints here." He turns his attention to Eric and shakes his hand. Then he greets Four and Rayne. We talk amongst ourselves until I see my father making his way over to us.

"Good morning Andrew." Eric says with a nod, which my father returns.

"Good morning to you. My dear Beatrice, it's good to see you." He smiles. He then turns to Four and Rayne and offers them both a nod. I glance over at Eric and he quickly smiles at me, and helps me take my jacket off. My tight vneck sweater shows my small baby bump quite well, and I soon turn around and face our little group.

"Is that? You're.." My father says, his eyes wide.

"We're having a baby. You're going to be a grandfather." I say quietly. My father quickly gathers me in his arms.

"My baby girl. I'm so happy for you." He releases me then shakes Eric's hand.

Caleb hugs me and kisses my temple. "I'm going to be an uncle." He says with a grin. "Do you know what you're having?" He asks.

"Not yet, but soon. We will definitely get word to you both." Eric replies.

"Your mother is going to be so happy." My father quietly remarks. I feel tears in my eyes. "Don't cry Beatrice, this is happy news. She's going to be thrilled for you. She very much likes Eric." I nod and try to pull myself together.

"Restroom?" Rayne asks and I nod. She grabs my hand and leads the way.

"Stupid hormones." I say once we're inside. Rayne dampens a paper towel and helps me wipe my face.

"Don't you dare worry about it. I'm sure you'll be doing this same favor for me if I see my parents today. No hormones involved." She laughs.

"Do they know you were coming?" I ask.

"No, but I have a feeling once Johanna sees I'm here she'll make sure they know." She grins.

"Johanna is wonderful." I reply. Soon my flushed cheeks have returned to normal and my eyes are dry. "Thank you."

"You're most welcome. Ready?" She asks and I nod. We walk over towards our little mixed group of black, grey and blue and we see Johanna has joined the men.

"Rayne!" She embraces her and then pulls her away. "I just want to get a good look at you. You're so beautiful."

"Thank you Johanna. I have something I want to show you." She brings her hand up and Johanna grabs her hand and smiles.

"My sweet baby girl is this an engagement ring?" She beams. Rayne nods. "Do I know this lucky man?" Rayne puts her hand out and grasps Four. "Tobias Eaton?" Johanna beams.

"Yes Johanna, you know my fiancé Tobias." Rayne smiles as Johanna hugs Four.

"I'm so happy for you both. Oh Rayne, he's a good one." She smiles then puts a hand on Four's cheek. "You are a lucky man."

"Yes ma'am I am." He replies, my father and Caleb soon offer their congratulations to the couple. Johanna finally turns her attention to Eric and me.

"Oh my goodness. Tris, Eric, is this what I think it is?" She asks.

"We're having a baby." I reply and she embraces us both.

"This is such a beautiful day. I'm so happy for you both. May I?" She gestures with her hands towards my belly and I quickly nod. She gently wraps her hands around my bump and then embraces me a in a warm hug. "You've made him a better man." She whispers in my ear before breaking our embrace and grabbing Eric. He stiffens at first, but then folds into Johanna's arms and returns her hug.

"Ok, I have to get everyone to the room. I'm so happy for you all." She says before rushing over to make her announcement. Everyone files into the conference room and gets settled in for our meeting.

The usual announcements at the beginning of each meeting are made, and I'm pleased when I hear Johanna introduce Rayne as a new leader in training. As always, Jack Kang from Candor is making it his life's mission to argue about anything he can think of. I find myself zoning out, focusing solely on the feel of my husbands hand in mine. For such a large and intimidating man, he's surprisingly soft and gentle with me. His thumb is idly tracing circles on the back of my hand, and every once in awhile I graze over his wedding band and push it forward so I can run my finger over the tattoo of my name and our wedding date. It's hard to believe that we've been married for over half a year and are expecting our first child together in a time span that traditionally we should have still been dating and getting to know each other.

Eric told me about his mother asking how long we had dated before being married, and how Four had answered that we dated for 6 months. It's surprisingly true when I look back on it, because a little before my second month of leadership training the playful banter and flirting between Eric and me turned into serious conversations and deeper friendship. I twirl Eric's wedding ring around his finger and I'm brought out of my daydream by a squeeze on my hand. I look over at Eric and he's smiling at me.

"Thank you Candor. Abnegation, you now have the floor." Johanna says. I sit up a little straighter to give my father my full attention.

"We have nothing new to report, however I do have a motion to bring to the table. I understand this motion will require full leadership voting, so I'm prepared to wait for a formal proposal until we can have all leadership in attendance. However, the motion is I'd like to abolish the faction before blood law we have in place." My father says in his clear, strong voice. There are murmurs and shocked faces throughout the small group, and Eric looks at me questioningly. I shake my head slightly, I had no idea my father was thinking of this.

"Andrew, that is a rather important motion, and we acknowledge that we need full leadership attendance to hear arguments for the motion. Can you share your reasoning for suggesting it?" Johanna asks.

"I don't think anyone in this room could argue against wanting to be able to see their family freely, and share life events. I don't think it's fair to ask an eighteen year old to make a choice to either never see their family again, or stay in a faction they are unhappy with." He explains.

"I second the motion." Caleb replies.

"Very well, it will be argued at next weeks meeting." Johanna replies and I see Jack Kang shaking his head. Johanna dismisses us for lunch and quickly makes her way to our group.

"Rayne, I am going to find your parents and bring them to the cafeteria if possible. I will meet you all there." She says with a smile.

My father walks over to where Eric and I are standing.

"Dad, I had no idea you were presenting that motion today." I say.

"I didn't either Beatrice, not until I learned of my grandchild. I already have a hole in my heart in losing Caleb and you, I can't take any more. I want to know my grandchild and future grandchildren, I want to get to know my son in law outside of these meetings and I want to see you and your brother every chance I can get. It's important to me, and I hope others see it the same way." He replies. I can't help but beam with pride at my father.

"I can't imagine you'll have any opposition from Dauntless." Eric replies. "Max came from Amity, and even though it's been many years since he transferred, he still has their core values within."

"I will have my arguments prepared, so next week hopefully we will win this vote. Now, we should go eat, my lovely daughter is now eating for two."

As we head to the cafeteria, we see Johanna with a middle aged couple in tow. I tap on Rayne's shoulder and point them out. She immediately drops Four's hand and runs over to them. I can't help but stop and smile at their happy reunion. She waves Four over and he nervously glances back at us.

"Go meet your in-laws, we'll get a table. Meet you inside." Eric says.

We all get our plates and find a table large enough for our entire group. Rayne brings her parents over and introduces us, and they easily fall into conversation with my dad and Johanna. Four has trained his eyes on me and gives me a nod and a worried face.

I lean over to Eric and whisper in his ear. "Hey, I need a few minutes with Four."

"I already saw him catch your attention. See you soon." He whispers back and gives me a quick kiss. I walk out of the cafeteria and sit on one of the couches in the corridor. Four soon joins me.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"They know who I am." He replies.

"Be more specific."

"As soon as she introduced me, her dad said he knew exactly who I was, the boy who executed his own father is how he put it." He says. "He also wouldn't shake my hand. Her mom was friendly though, she hugged me."

"Is it possible that her father knew Marcus?" I ask.

"Maybe. Ray has mentioned her dad was part of the leadership committee they have here, so they could have crossed paths. I just don't want her dad to hate me, she doesn't need my fucked up life to effect her relationship with her dad."

"Well, hiding out in the corridor with a woman other than his daughter might hinder that relationship. Tobias, you are a wonderful person. Be yourself, the unguarded version who we all get to see. If he doesn't like the real you then fuck him. Rayne loves you, everything about you, fucked up family and all. If her family can't see what a great man their daughter has chosen to spend her life with then it's their loss. Come on, I'm hungry, baby wants food." I smile and accept the hand he's holding out to help me up. He grins easily back at me and kisses my forehead.

"You are the best friend I could ever have. Thank you for always knowing exactly what to say." He says.

"Anytime. Get in there, I'll be in soon. I really do need to go to the ladies room." I reply and watch him walk back in to the cafeteria with his head held a little higher.

After relieving myself for what feels like the hundredth time today, I head back to the cafeteria. As I approach our table, I feel a hard kick for the first time. I stop walking and put my hand on my belly. I see Eric looking up at me, and he immediately gets up and walks over to me.

"What's wrong? Are you hurting?" He asks. I grab his hand and put it where our baby is currently kicking away. "Oh my god Tris, is that our baby?" He asks.

"Yes, it's the first time that's happened. I mean I've felt the baby move but never where you could feel it too." I reply, Eric is looking at my belly with a huge smile. Soon my father and Caleb walk over too.

"Is everything ok?" Caleb asks.

"Our baby is kicking." Eric replies.

"May I?" My dad asks and we nod. Eric guides his hand to where we're feeling the activity and my dad breaks into a huge smile. "My word, that's a strong baby."

He soon moves his hand so Caleb can feel. "Oh wow Bea, that is simply amazing." He smiles.

"Let's finish our lunch, you've barely eaten." Eric says and he leads us back to the table.

"Everything ok?" Johanna asks and everyone at our table turns to look at me.

"I got to feel my grandchild kick for the first time." My dad says proudly and everyone smiles.

I begin eating again and watch Tobias interact with Rayne's parents. He's relaxed and the conversation seems to be going well with Rayne's mother, but her father is still sitting silently with a pinched face. Eric soon puts his hand on my belly and kisses my temple before whispering in my ear.

"I'm so happy right now. It's hitting me that we created that life. I can't wait to meet our baby." I look up at him and he's smiling widely at me.

"Me too. I love you." I whisper back to him and he quickly kisses my lips and pulls me a little closer to his side.

The meeting ends abruptly after lunch when Johanna and the rest of the leadership committee is called away due to an emergency situation with the irrigation system for the farms.

We begin to say our goodbyes to my father and brother, and I see Eric and my father sharing a knowing look.

"Tris, remember when I asked you yesterday if you wanted to stay a little after the meeting?" Eric asks.

"I do." I reply.

"Follow us." He grins while reaching out for my hand. I notice that my dad and Caleb are walking with us. We walk through the beautiful grounds of Amity for about half an hour until we get to a wooded area with a small clearing, and I see my mom sitting on a blanket, working on a cross stitch.

"Oh my god. How?" I ask, but before anyone can answer I'm sprinting to my mom.

"My sweet girl. How I've missed you." She says while embracing me. I immediately burst into tears. "Oh honey don't cry." She runs a hand through my long hair in an attempt to soothe me.

"I've missed you too." I reply.

"Caleb, my handsome son, I've missed you too." Mom says, hugging Caleb.

"Me too mom." He replies.

"Eric, it's so good to see you, especially under much better circumstances." She hugs my husband, which always catches him off guard because of Abnegation customs.

"Natalie, it's a pleasure to see you, as always. And I agree, these are much better circumstances." He replies.

"Oh my gosh mom, we have some news." I unzip my jacket and show her my baby bump. "You're going to be a grandmother."

She puts both of her hands on my belly. "Beatrice, Eric I'm so happy for you. This is the best news I've heard by far. How far along are you honey?"

"Five and a half months." I reply.

"You are so tiny, you must be all baby." She smiles.

"That's exactly what the doctor says." I grin.

"Do you know if your having a boy or girl?" She asks.

"We are waiting until our baby shower to find out, oh Christina is pregnant too mom! She's a little over four months."

"That's wonderful, please send her our best. Oh and please tell all of your friends hello for me too. They were all such lovely people." She replies.

"Natalie, I'm hoping after next week you will be able to personally deliver those messages." My dad quietly says. "I'll fill you in when we leave, please visit with our children. We won't be able to stay much longer."

We spend the next half hour or so getting caught up as much as we could. As we're saying our goodbyes all I can think about is the possibility of not having to sneak around to see my family anymore. For once, I'm not as sad to have to leave.


	18. Blood Before Faction?

**Hello again, thanks for the reviews and follows. You are all so awesome, and I love reading your ideas and comments.**

 **I wanted to reply to a Guest review that I moderated. I understand that there is a lot of Four in this story, and you mentioned the interactions were forced and made the story unbelievable when comparing it to my other stories. While I do appreciate your feedback, I also wanted to remind you that I had already mentioned this story was not going to paint Four as a bad guy. As for the friendship between Four, Eric and Tris, I have based a lot of their interactions with each other on personal experience. It is very possible to be in a relationship that ends poorly, but be mature enough about it to discuss it like adults and salvage the friendship it should have been. This story is about Eris, but I didn't want it to be so focused on them and one dimensional, I wanted to also showcase the wonderful friendships they have. I hope that helps you to understand where my head is when I'm writing this particular story. If you really want asshole Four, it'll be best to stick with my other two stories :)**

 **Sorry for the long AN!**

Chapter 18: Blood Before Faction?

Eric POV

I wake up and stretch and I'm surprised to find a cold sheet where Tris should be. I look at the clock and it's not even 5:00 am. I get up and grab my boxers off the floor and check the bathroom. No Tris. I check the living room and kitchen and no signs of her. I check the spare bedroom that we plan on turning into a nursery and she's not there either.

Even though I've already checked every room in our apartment, I walk through each room calling out for her again. I try calling her phone and I hear it ringing in the apartment. Now I'm officially worried.

I start getting dressed while calling the control room. Zeke answers.

"Hey it's Eric. Can you do a sweep of the cameras and tell me if you see Tris anywhere?"

"Sure man, will do it now. What happened?" He asks.

"No clue. I just woke up and she's gone. Her phones here." I grab my keys and walk out of my apartment and head to the control room.

"I'm not seeing her so far." Zeke says, I can hear him typing away.

"I'm almost there." I reply and soon scan my access card and go through the control room door.

"Have you checked the training room?" I ask.

"Yeah, nothing. Here's the camera. Have you called Chris?" He asks.

"Not yet." I reply.

"I'm calling Shauna. You call Marlene, she's already at work."

As I'm about to call Marlene I hear Zeke call my name."Eric, found her."

I walk over and peer over his shoulder. Tris is coming out of the locker room of the training room, her hair obviously wet. "Must have missed her on the camera because she was showering." Zeke says.

"Thank you so much for your help man. I'm gonna go make sure she's ok." I reply and he nods.

I quickly start walking towards the training room, and soon cross paths with Tris. She looks surprised to see me.

"You scared the hell out of me Tris. I had no idea where you were." I say while grabbing her for a hug.

"Baby, I'm fine. I'm sorry to worry you. Why didn't you just call me?" She asks.

"I did, your phone is at home."

"Fuck. I'm so sorry." She replies, stepping out of my embrace. "I couldn't sleep, so I went to the training room. I went ahead and showered while I was down there, I was heading up to find a creative way to wake you up and didn't want to be all sweaty before I did it." She says sheepishly.

"As much as I love the different ways you wake me up, I'm more concerned about you not sleeping. The bed was cold, did you get any sleep at all?" I ask, grabbing her backpack and taking her hand in mine as we walk back to the apartment.

"No, all I could do was toss and turn and I kept disturbing you. I'm just really worked up about today's meeting, my nerves are shot." She replies as we enter the apartment.

"I should have known. You should have woke me up babe, we could have talked, or done some other things to take your mind off of things. Come on, even if you don't go back to sleep, you have at least a few hours that you can rest since the meeting is here. Let's get you in bed."

"Will you lay with me?" She asks. "I just want you to hold me."

"Of course I will." I strip down to my boxers and Tris leaves her tank top and panties on. I set the alarm to wake us up and we both crawl into bed. Tris immediately lays on her side, facing me, and tucks herself under my chin while we entwine our legs and wrap our arms around each other, being careful of her tiny baby bump. I decide not to talk, instead I gently run my hands up and down her back in an attempt to relax her. To my amazement, she falls asleep almost immediately.

Today, the leadership meeting is in Dauntless, and it's the big vote. This type of law removal requires unanimous voting, which is not something the five factions are good at. I can completely understand Tris' anxiety, and it's even more so for her since she's pregnant and close to her family. I'm already dreading the argument that's sure to come from Candor.

The annoying beeping of my alarm wakes us entirely too soon.

"I swear I just shut my eyes." Tris whines.

"I know babe."

"How long until people start arriving?" She asks, not moving an inch from where we're entwined together under the blankets.

"It's 8:00 now, meeting starts at 9:00 and you know your dad will be here relatively early." I reply. "I'm gonna go shower, want me to wake you after I'm done?"

"No, I'm getting up. Mind some company? Another shower might wake me up." She replies.

"Not at all. I'll go start the water."

Within a few minutes of being in the shower, Tris joins me. She looks exhausted.

"What do you think is going to happen today?" She asks while I wash her hair.

"I wish I knew. Max tried to get a feel from the other leaders and with the exception of Johanna they were all tight lipped." I reply. Tris turns to me and starts washing my body. We finish our shower in relative silence and quickly dry off and start to get dressed. I hear Tris huff loudly.

"What's wrong babe?" I ask from my spot in the bathroom, where I'm currently shaving.

"I need new bras." She replies. I peek around the corner and see her wearing one of my favorites, but it's obviously uncomfortable as her swollen breasts are straining the cups.

"God, you are beautiful." I say while opening her drawer and grabbing a sports bra. "How about this until you can go shopping? I'll even go with you if you need."

"Of course you'll go bra shopping with me." She snickers while I unclasp her bra for her. I kiss her shoulder before retreating back into the bathroom.

"Like I told you, I'm always here for your boobs babe." I reply and I hear her laughing. Mission cheer my wife up is a success.

We have a quick breakfast of toast and oatmeal before heading down to the conference room for today's meeting. I see a few of the other leaders are already milling around the corridor outside the conference room, but no sign of Caleb or Andrew yet. Tris starts to pace nervously, rubbing her belly the entire time.

"Our child is practicing kickboxing this morning." She says with a grin as she stops in front of me. I take the opportunity to wrap my arms around her from behind and hold her belly in my hands. I can feel the baby moving quite actively.

"Our child is excited for today's meeting too." I say kissing the top of her head.

"Did I hear that my grandchild is excited?" Max asks as he approaches us. "May I?" He asks with a small smile. Tris eagerly nods and I move my hands. Max places his hands on either side of her belly, and he is quickly rewarded with several swift kicks.

"That is amazing." He says with awe. Max and Dana could never have children of their own, a severe illness rendered Dana incapable of carrying children. Max and I quickly bonded when I was in leadership training, something about the older man made me let my walls down around him, and soon he and I were closer than I ever was with my own cold father. It's no secret that Max has a huge soft spot for Tris, he kept his protective eye on her from the moment he found out that she was not only divergent, but _the_ divergent that Jeanine desperately wanted. Max and Dana are possibly more excited for our first child than Tris and I are.

"It really is. Every time it happens I fall a little more in love with our little one." I reply.

"Let's open the doors. I know it's early, but today is an important meeting, might as well get people in here speaking comfortably as soon as possible." Max says and Four and Rayne head to the doors to open them and welcome the other leaders in.

Tris trains her eyes on the door, waiting with as much patience as she can muster for Caleb or Andrew to walk in. We see Andrew first, but he is deep in conversation with two leaders from Candor. Caleb soon walks in with Cara, and I catch him quickly drop her hand. Tris notices too.

"When did that happen?" She wonders out loud. Caleb heads over to us while Cara stops to talk with Will.

"Good morning Eric." I shake his offered hand. "Good morning baby Bea." He gives his sister a quick hug and she laughs at him calling her by her childhood nickname. He places a hand on her belly and leans his head down. "Good morning little one, your uncle loves you."

"So Cara?" Tris asks, wasting no time in interrogating her brother.

"Bea.." He rolls his eyes as she interrupts him.

"Don't you dare lie to me Caleb Andrew Prior." She warns with a stern tone that I have started calling her mommy voice.

"Fine, just a little over six months. We weren't really comfortable with making it public until we were sure of the relationship." He replies.

"And now you're sure?" Tris asks.

"Undoubtedly." He answers with a smile.

"Well congrats man, she's a great one." I remark and Caleb grins.

"Indeed she is."

"I'm happy for you big brother. She's wonderful." Tris replies.

"I seem to recall you threatening to punch her the first time you met her." I say.

"Well, she was pretty nasty towards the Abnegation. Kind of like you were to me the first time you met me." She replies with a smirk.

"I guess feelings change." Caleb replies with a laugh before Max calls the meeting to order. Caleb takes his seat next to Cara with the other Erudite leaders. Tris and I take the empty seats between Max's chair and Four, with Rayne and Will on the other side of Four. I make eye contact with Andrew across the table and he looks troubled.

Max goes over the normal introductions and announcements that are made at every meeting, and then he quickly switches gears.

"Andrew Prior, head leader of Abnegation has a proposal to present, Andrew the floor is yours." Max says, inviting Andrew to the podium before taking his seat next to me.

"Thank you Max. For those whom I've never met, my name is Andrew Prior. As Max mentioned, I am a leader of Abnegation. Today I propose the abolishment of the faction before blood law. If approved, I propose that we implement this change immediately. I now open the floor to any questions."

To no ones surprise, Jack Kang is the first to speak. "Andrew, what benefits do you foretell in the removal of this law?"

"I know that many of you may view my request as selfish, I had this conversation with my fellow Abnegation leaders as well. I believe asking an eighteen year old to make a decision that could prevent them from seeing their family if they pursue their own happiness is wrong. It is possible to have complete loyalty to the faction they choose while remaining loyal to the family they leave behind." Andrew replies.

"Intermingling between factions is cause for alarm. This could lead to faction traitorism. We administer aptitude tests for this reason: to ensure that the dependents make their decision based on what faction they are best suited. Allowing them to hold on to parts of their previous faction endangers everyone." Jack replies.

"May I speak?" Tris asks.

"Yes you may, floor to Tris Coulter, a leader of Dauntless." Andrew replies and Tris stands.

"Jack, with all due respect, I believe there is a flaw in your logic in regards to aptitude testing and which factions a dependent is best suited. The aptitude test isn't set in stone, regardless of the results of the test the dependent is still choosing where to pledge their loyalty." Tris replies.

"Tris, you bring up a valid point, perhaps we should consider law to disallow the choice, instead sending the dependent to the faction they tested for." Jack replies.

"In that case, where would you send me?" She asks. I can already tell what she's about to do. Being divergent no longer has the same stigma attached as it did when Jeanine was alive and in power, however admitting to being a divergent isn't something that's typically done. There are many people across the factions that think being divergent is some sort of freak of nature, and have a prejudice against us.

"Well, we'd send you to the faction your test revealed." Jack replies simply.

"Interesting." Tris replies. "However there is still a flaw. What about divergents?"

"Although there are many who believe divergents exist, I haven't seen any hard proof, and I hardly want to base any opinion of their existence on the opinions of a mad woman like Jeanine Matthews." He scoffs.

"While I certainly agree with your suggestion of not allowing Jeanine's paranoia impact your beliefs, and as much as that woman disgusted me she was right that divergents exist. If you were to send me to the faction that my aptitude test revealed you would have to find a way to split me three ways and send me to Abnegation, Erudite and Dauntless simultaneously. Those are the factions that I matched with my aptitude tests. You see Jack, even though my aptitude tells me I could be loyal to three factions, I choose to only be loyal to one. My divergence hasn't made me waver on that loyalty, nor would the ability to see my family outside of these meetings." There are murmurs in the room, the other leaders obviously surprised at Tris' open admittance of her divergence.

"Well Tris, that certainly gives us something to think about. Thank you for being so up front and honest." Jack replies.

"Thank you for allowing me to speak." She replies, returning to her seat so her father could take the podium.

"More questions?" Andrew asks.

"I do have a concern regarding this potential change in the law." One of the Erudite leaders, a man named Bruce replies. "In regards to our leadership, there are three Prior's in a position of leadership, plus one of the Prior's is in fact married to a fellow leader. Faction before blood prevents them from essentially stacking the chips in regards to interfaction decisions. How would we prevent that if the law is abolished?"

Andrew seems to be upset by this question. Before he can speak, Cara does.

"I'd like the record to show that Erudite is not in agreeance with Bruce McDaniel's argument. Caleb Prior has shown no preferential treatment of any law or motion presented by Andrew Prior, Tris Coulter or Eric Coulter. To insinuate such is disgusting." She replies, making no attempt to hide her disdain with her fellow leader.

"Thank you Cara. Now, to answer your question Bruce, we were put into the positions we are in because we were all proven to be trustworthy. Faction before blood has no impact on the decisions I make when it comes to governing our faction. Seeing my children, my grandchild, my son in law and any future daughter in law will not change the way I lead, nor will it change the way my son, daughter and son in law currently lead. I see them all once a week now, are you telling me that it has changed the way I lead?" Andrew asks, challenging Bruce.

"Well no, I don't believe it has. I am just concerned that it could in the future, that's all." He replies nervously.

"I can assure you that it wouldn't. Bruce, do you have children?" Andrew asks.

"Yes I do." He replies.

"Do you want to potentially never see them again after the age of eighteen?" Andrew asks.

"Of course that's not how I feel." Bruce scoffs.

"I have a question." Miles Randolph, a Candor leader comments.

"Yes Miles?" Andrew asks.

"What about dating or marriage between the factions? If we open visitation between families up, the chances of meeting a significant other outside of your faction rises. What are we to do if marriage is proposed?" Miles asks.

There are murmurs around the room, and I hear Tris quietly whisper an expletive.

"Miles, or any of your fellow Candor leaders, aren't there already laws in place that prevent inter faction marriage?" Andrew asks. "I seem to recall seeing that law when I was researching my proposition." Andrew shuffles through a stack of papers. "Ah, yes, here it is. It's article 36: There will be no marriage or domestic partnership between members of different factions." He replies, passing the copy of the law over to Candor. "It seems as it is buried in another law, but it's unrelated to the faction before blood law, therefore it wouldn't be impacted by the proposed abolishment."

"Oh shit, your dad just recited law to a Candor." I whisper to Tris and she smiles brightly. I glance across the room at Caleb and he has a proud smile on his face.

"Yes, Andrew you are correct. My apologies for the oversite." Miles replies sheepishly before taking a seat.

"My fear is that we are keeping this archaic law on the books just because it's the way things have always been done. It's time to change things. I challenge anyone in this room to explain why faction before blood is important." Andrew says.

Although there are many side conversations going on, no one speaks up.

"I'd like to propose that we take a preliminary vote." Jack says.

"Yes, very well. Amity, please." Andrew says.

"We vote in favor of abolishment." Johanna answers.

"Thank you Amity, that is one vote in favor. Candor, please."

"We vote against abolishment." Jack replies.

"Thank you Candor, that is one vote in favor, one against. Dauntless, please."

"We vote in favor of abolishment." Max replies.

"Thank you Dauntless, that is two votes in favor, one against. Erudite, please."

We can see heated discussion still happening within the Erudite leadership. After several minutes, Cara speaks up.

"Erudite is still undecided." Cara says.

"Thank you Erudite. As for Abnegation, we vote in favor. That leaves our preliminary voting at three in favor, one against and one undecided." Andrew replies. "Please take some time to discuss your vote amongst your factions, I am available for any questions."

Quiet discussions are being held around us. Tris is fidgeting next to me. I grab her hand to try to calm her nerves a bit. "It's just a preliminary vote, this is progress. Normally we can't even get to a preliminary vote this early in the process." I whisper to Tris.

"Oh, I know, sorry I'm so fidgety. Our child is once again using my bladder as their own personal plaything. I just didn't want to leave before voting was finished." She grins at me. I kiss her hand before letting her go. She quietly slips out of the room.

"She ok?" Max asks.

"Yes, just pregnant." I reply and he smiles back.

"How do you think this vote is going to go?" He asks.

"I'm not sure. I think Candor is going to be the only potential holdout. What concerns me is they haven't raised any more questions or arguments after Andrew and Tris shut them down, but they're still at a no." I reply.

"I agree, it's actually odd. Jack is not one to stay quiet if he feels strongly about something." He replies, nodding his head.

While we wait, I peek over at Erudite and notice their conversation seems to be going well. Bruce is smiling and nodding along with whatever Caleb is saying. I look over at Candor, and they are still tightly huddled.

"What did I miss?" Tris asks when she slips back into her seat.

"Erudite seems united now, Candor is still being really secretive." I whisper.

Max leans over and huddles the six of us together. "Jack wants to speak privately to the head leaders. He, Andrew, Cara, Johanna and I are going to my office."

"Why would he want to shut the rest of leadership out?" I ask. "That man infuriates me."

"Eric, I'm not sure, but if we can come to an agreement that's more important than feelings being hurt." Max replies. "I'll be back as soon as I can. If I'm not back by noon, call the lunch break and meet us in the cafeteria." He says to me and I nod. We watch as the other leaders leave the room.

"Now what?" Rayne asks.

"We continue the meeting." I reply before heading to the podium.

"As you all know, the head leaders are meeting privately at Jack's request. Does anyone have a pressing issue that needs attention, or anything new to report?" I ask the remaining leaders.

"I have a question." A young Erudite leader named James speaks up.

"You have the floor." I reply.

"My question is actually for Tris. You're really a divergent?" He asks.

"I don't see the relevance of your question." I reply.

"Eric, it's ok, I don't mind answering." Tris replies and I nod. "Yes, I really am." She answers.

"How does that compare to a non divergent?" He asks.

"That's kind of a broad question, but I don't know what it feels like to not be divergent so it's hard to compare. I always knew from a young age that I didn't seem to fit in with my home faction. During school, my ability to retain knowledge was noticed, and I was a pretty reckless kid, climbing roofs and jumping from building to building. When it came to making a choice, there was no question for me. I knew Dauntless was where I belonged. Even if my test results hadn't mentioned Dauntless, I'd still be here. I'm loyal to my faction." She replies.

"It's facinating. Caleb, she's your sister, does this mean you're also divergent?" He asks.

"No. Just Tris." He replies.

"I'm also divergent." A Candor leader named Melissa pipes in. "Candor and Erudite."

"Me too." An Amity leader named Meadow adds. "Amity and Abnegation."

"I am too." Four replies. "Dauntless and Abnegation."

"Dauntless and Erudite here." I add. I can see the look of shock on many faces.

"She tasked you with hunting and killing what you are?" James asks.

"Indeed she did. She was a very evil woman." I reply. "Now, those of you who have worked together previously, have you ever see any issues with the divergents in leadership?"

I get head shakes and some "no" answers.

"I know at one point there was a huge stigma on divergence. Jeanine certainly poisoned a lot of people with her paranoia and plans for genocide. I've been in leadership for three years now, and no one in this room, besides my wife and friend knew I was divergent. It's time we're no longer ashamed of who we are."

"I agree." Surprisingly Miles from Candor makes that comment. Candor rarely agrees with anything.

There are more side conversations within the groups about what they had learned. Max and the other leaders return to the room, expressions unreadable. I exit from the podium so that Andrew can speak.

"We are ready for a vote. Amity?" Andrew calls out. I sit down and grab Tris' hand.

"We vote in favor of abolishment." Johanna replies.

"Dauntless?"

"We also vote in favor of abolishment." Max replies.

"Erudite?"

"Our vote is in favor of abolishment." Cara replies. Tris' grip on my hand tightens.

"Candor?"

"We have decided to vote in favor of the abolishment." Jack replies and I steal a glance at Tris. She has silent tears running down her face. Max passes her a tissue.

"I will vote on behalf of Abnegation, we are voting in favor of abolishment. The vote is unanimous, effective immediately the faction before blood rule is stricken." Andrew replies. Tris jumps from her seat and walks to her father, and for the first time since leaving Abnegation she is able to hug him without fear of repercussion. Caleb soon walks over and joins in their hug.

"It's a beautiful moment." Rayne says, I glance over and she is also crying.

"It really is." Four agrees. I nod. We watch as Will walks over to his sister, and they soon embrace as well.

"That is what makes this vote worth it." Jack Kang says from over my shoulder. I stand up and shake his hand.

"Thank you. Knowing our child will grow up being able to get to know their grandparents is amazing. You have no idea how much we appreciate your support." I say to Jack.

"Tris changed our minds. She's quite persuasive and a fine leader." He replies.

"That she is. We're very proud of her." Max chimes in.

"More and more every day." I add, glancing over and seeing Caleb, Andrew, Cara, Will and Tris deep in conversation. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to join my family."

Max announces the meeting is adjourned and invites the leaders to stay for lunch. I make my way over to Tris and immediately take her into my arms.

"My stupid hormones." She says, smiling through tears. "I'm so happy though."

"Dad, how will this work? How will we get the word out?" Caleb asks.

"Cara, can you announce it as a faction wide broadcast when you're back to Erudite?" Andrew asks.

"I certainly can." She replies with a smile.

"Eric, I know you've met Cara as a leader, but I'd like to introduce you to her officially as my fiancé." Caleb says with a wide smile.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, future sister in law." I shake Cara's extended hand.

"Likewise. Who would have thought we'd ever become family?" She asks with a grin.

"Definitely not me." Will laughs.

"Me either." Tris joins in.

"Congratulations to you both." I shake Caleb's hand. "Would you all like to get some lunch?"

"We should get back so we can make the announcement, but thank you. We'll be able to get together soon though." Cara says with a smile.

"I need to get back as well, I have to submit my language for the law change to Jack and I'd rather not work late. Thank you for the invitation though." Andrew replies.

"Oh wait, my friends are throwing a baby shower for Christina, Will, Eric and me this weekend. Could you all possibly come? It's Saturday at 2:00." Tris asks.

"Your mother and I will be there." Andrew replies with a smile.

"Count us in." Caleb replies as Cara nods. "I'm getting two niece or nephews now." He grins.

We exchange our goodbyes and I can tell that Tris is practically asleep on her feet.

"Tris, babe, how about we grab a quick bite to eat and go take a nap?" I ask.

"Those are the sexiest words you have ever spoken to me. I love you." She replies before giving me a kiss.

By the time we make it to our friends table, the buzz is high about the rule change.

"Seriously, this is real?" Chris asks.

"It's real. Cara, Caleb and my parents are coming to our shower. You should invite your parents and Rose." Tris replies.

Christina breaks into a wide smile. "I can't believe my mom and sister might actually be able to meet our baby." Will leans over and gives her a kiss.

"That is amazing." Shauna says with a smile.

"Where are Mar and Uri?" Rayne asks.

"Sleeping. They both worked overnight shifts." Zeke replies.

"We barely see them anymore. Their work schedule really stinks." Chris remarks.

Tris snuggles closer so I wrap one arm around her. We continue our lunch and soon I feel a weight on my shoulder. I glance over and Tris is fast asleep.

"She ok?" Will asks.

"She didn't sleep last night, her nerves kept her awake. I should get her upstairs." I reply.

"We'll take care of your trays." Chris replies. Tris stirs a bit.

"Baby, do you want me to carry you?" I ask.

"No, I can walk. Can we go though?" She asks. We say our goodbyes and head to our apartment.

Tris kicks her shoes off and immediately goes into our bedroom. I follow behind, and after stripping down to a tshirt and boxers I climb into bed behind my wife. She snuggles her back to my chest, and I rub her belly until she's fast asleep. I can feel our baby kicking and moving around, even as Tris sleeps. I fall asleep shortly after.

I wake up a little over an hour later and Tris is still sleeping soundly. I ease my way out of bed to check my email, and find the official email announcing the rule abolishment, along with a video attachment of the broadcast announcement that we slept through. It's still surreal to me that our families might actually get the chance to get to know each other. I've not seen my brother in almost five years, and I have no idea what his life in Amity has been like. I've only run into my sister a few times while meeting in Erudite, and I've not seen or heard from my parents since Tris was discharged from the hospital. Life is going to be so different.

I return to our bed and climb in behind Tris, wrapping my arms around her and watching her sleep. I'm surprised when she starts talking to me.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?" She asks.

"Well hello to you too, I didn't know you were even awake." I chuckle. "I really don't know. Having a girl means I could potentially have a daughter that is as beautiful as you and I'd have to protect her from assholes like me."

"Be serious." She admonishes.

"I am." She smacks my arm lightly. "Ok, ok. Honestly, I don't really have a preference. I just want you and the baby to be healthy and safe. What about you?"

"I've gone back and forth so many times with my thinking. A boy would mean carrying on the Coulter name in Dauntless, which I know is something that's important to you. A girl would be a spunky little spitfire like the two of us, but she'd also be daddy's little princess." She replies.

"Well, we will just wait and see what we have this first go round, and then keep trying for more until we get everything we want." I answer as I rub her belly.

"You were serious about this whole keeping me pregnant thing, huh?" She laughs.

"No, not keeping you pregnant, but I do think I want more kids. Yes, I know this one isn't even here yet, but the more I think about it the more I'd like to plan it. My brother and I were close, but we were five years apart, and my sister is seven years younger than me so we barely even knew each other before I left. I'd like for this little one to have a sibling close in age to grow up with."

Tris turns over so she's facing me. "I'd like that too. Obviously, Caleb and I are close, and we are as close in age as you can get." She chuckles. "But it gave us such a bond growing up. I was devastated when he chose Erudite. I almost chose to follow him." She replies.

"I can't imagine you in Erudite, but for purely selfish reasons. You're brilliant, and you would have done extremely well there, but we wouldn't have this life."

She scoots closer and gives me a soft kiss. "Everything really does happen for a reason, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, I think it does." I reply, rubbing my hand across her belly.


	19. Baby Shower

Chapter 19: Baby Shower

Tris POV

Our baby shower started a couple of hours ago, and so far it's been amazing. Marlene and Shauna truly outdid themselves with food and decorations. Even with short notice and the huge difference inviting everyone's family made, the girls ensured there was plenty of food, drinks, space and activities for the increase in attendance. We were all so excited about the law change, so we all decided that our friends should also invite their families too, and soon our simple shower turned into a huge party.

Chris and Will were able to get all of their parents here, plus siblings of course. My parents and brother are here too, along with Eric's brother Ethan and his family. Unfortunately, Eric's parents and sister chose to stay in Erudite, the brief reunion and efforts at forgiveness soon crumbled after I was released from the hospital. His father was especially cruel in his refusal to attend our shower, explaining their absence in cold terms, almost as if it were a business deal that went sour. He said that after careful consideration they just can't truly forgive him for Jeanine's death. My husband is a hero for everything his did to thwart Jeanine's war plans and expose her for the criminal she was, but Eric's parents will forever be in denial of how truly evil she was. What is hurting him the most is his parents refusal to accept their own grandchild. While I cling to the hope that one day they will truly come around, Eric has instead tried to find ways in his mind and heart to forget about them.

Eric had been nervous every day leading up to our shower because he knew he'd see the older brother he had missed dearly ever since he chose to leave for Amity almost 10 years ago. He spent the morning flitting nervously around our apartment, debating on how to dress and if he should remove his piercings. After we talked about it he decided that it was best to see Ethan again as himself, piercings, exposed tattoos and all. Ethan and Eric have not seen each other at all since Eric joined Dauntless. As Amity as Ethan may be, he held dear to the faction before blood law, and avoided Eric each time Eric's work brought him to Amity. When the brothers finally saw each other today, it was a precious site. The two embraced for a long time, and finally introductions were made to his lovely wife Taryn and their two adorable daughters Jasmine, who is six and Ellie who is four. We all chatted like old friends, and soon it felt like no time at all had passed between the brothers.

Their oldest daughter Jasmine exhibits the same Erudite curiosity that is ingrained in both her father and uncle, and she spent a good portion of their first interaction asking questions about Eric's numerous piercings and visible tattoos. She was completely in awe of the tattoos and body jewelry, and once we explained the matching leadership tattoos that Eric and I wear on our necks, she, Ellie, Taryn and I spent some quality time "hunting" for the other leaders while Eric and Ethan caught up. Max became just as enthralled with Eric's nieces as any true father would their own grandchildren, and it was a touching site to watch him with them. As much as I wish my husband had his father in his life, it's moments like these that show blood isn't always what makes a father truly a dad. Max has proven, in his own way, how much he loves Eric like his own son over and over in the time I've known him.

I finally snuck away from the mob of guests, and found a quiet corner to drag two chairs to, one for me to sit and the other for me to put my swollen feet up on. I'm sitting with my shoes off, eyes closed and head leaned back against the wall when someone picks my feet up and sits in the chair across from me, plopping my feet on their lap. I look over and it's my mom.

"Hello sweet girl, you look exhausted." She remarks while rubbing my tired and swollen feet. "Are you not sleeping well?" She asks.

I blush a bit at the thought, knowing my lack of sleep lately is due to the huge sexual appetite I have, and the willing, able and extremely talented husband who caters to my every whim. My mother notices the tint on my cheeks and laughs.

"Ah, yes, I remember pregnancy hormones quite fondly. I can see why Eric is always so happy." She chuckles and I feel the heat rise in my cheeks. I'm sure I am as red as a tomato.

"Mom!" I whisper yell. "I can't believe you just said that." I can't help the giggle that escapes my lips.

"Don't forget, I spent eighteen years of my life in this very building. There's still a lot of Dauntless left in me." She says with a wink.

"Why'd you leave Dauntless?" I ask.

"I was in love." She smiles before continuing. "Your father and I met at school, and we started what was a very forbidden romance when we were both fourteen. For the four years leading up to choosing day, we had each tried to convince the other to join the factions of our choosing. Your father wanted to go into the government, and he hated being in Erudite, so he had wanted Abnegation. I wanted desperately to stay here in Dauntless, but your father was a born leader Tris. Even at a young age, he was poised, intelligent and extremely caring. His intelligence was the only thing truly Erudite about him, he was destined for Abnegation. I loved him more than anything, so I followed him."

"Do you ever regret it?" I ask.

"Never. Your father is the love of my life, and you and your brother the best gifts ever bestowed on us. We have been extremely happy in Abnegation. Now, with the faction before blood law being abolished, we truly have everything we ever wanted." She replies with a smile.

"I was so worried that I had disappointed you both when I left."

"Beatrice, err Tris, we couldn't be prouder of your choice. It is true that your father needed some time to process it, but that was purely for selfish reasons. He missed you and Caleb desperately, and you had both chosen factions he didn't necessary approve of. Tris, your life was always meant to be here. Look at where you are right now: you are happily married to a wonderful man, expecting your first child together, working as a respected Dauntless leader and you've made an extraordinary group of friends who have become your family. This is always where you were supposed to be." She replies, smiling and eyes wet with unshed tears. "We couldn't be prouder of you."

I feel my own tears trickle down my cheeks, and my mom soon wraps me in her warm embrace. "Stupid hormones." I sniffle.

"Everything ok?" My father asks, as he pulls his own chair over to join us.

"Yes, we were just talking about the decisions that led us to the lives we currently have." Mom replies, while rubbing comforting circles on my back.

"And I'm a hormonal wreck." I chuckle, dropping my embrace and sitting back in my chair again. "I cry during some commercials. Ask Eric."

"Ah, yes, I remember when your mother was pregnant with Caleb. She truly frightened me." He says with a laugh.

"Well, you must not have been too frightened since we conceived Beatrice right after Caleb was born." My mom says with a wink.

"No, we will not be discussing anything about conception. As far as I'm concerned, Caleb and I both magically appeared." I reply with a groan. My parents both chuckle.

"I'm disappointed that Eric's parents didn't come today. Were they too busy to attend on such short notice?" My mom asks.

I sigh, unsure of how much to actually share. I glance over at where Eric is happily sitting with his two nieces on his lap, having an animated conversation with his brother and sister in law.

"Both of you are aware of Eric's involvement with bringing Jeanine Matthews down, correct?" I ask.

"Yes. We know that Eric and Max worked to gain Jeanine's trust, and that their work ultimately led to her arrest." My dad answers.

"What you didn't know is that Jeanine was Eric's aunt, the sister of Eric's mother." I reply. Both of my parents have expressions of shock on their face. "His parents, and his sister who is also in Erudite have struggled mightily with Eric's involvement in her arrest, and they ultimately blame him for her death."

"Oh my word. What a terrible situation. They seemed to be getting along when you were in the hospital, did something else happen?" My mom asks.

"Not that I'm aware of. Eric and his father have never been close, even before the whole mess with Jeanine. He described his parents as typical Erudite parents, focused more on education and less on nurture." I say, glancing at my father.

"That is an accurate depiction of parenting in Erudite." He replies evenly.

"Eric was close to Ethan growing up, even with their age gap. I know that deep down it hurts Eric that his parents have once again cut him off, but having Ethan back in his life takes a lot of that sting away." I reply, my parents both nod and smile.

"He's a good man Beatrice." My father quietly comments. "I admit I was apprehensive when I learned of your marriage to him. I've watched Eric during our leadership meetings, and he spent his early months trying to prove himself as a Dauntless leader. The piercings, tattoos, arrogance, brashness and cockiness were almost too much to bear. But, many of us quickly realized that the fact that they dropped an eighteen year old into a leadership position, all while tensions were at an all time high with his home faction were making him struggle, and his way of dealing with his own insecurities was to be ruthless."

I nod, "Eric was pretty harsh with me throughout my initiation. He was cold, and intimidating, and downright nasty at times. I would stand up to him and it'd make him lash out that much more. I later found out that the time of my initiation was when he was working towards bringing Jeanine down, and he was protecting me. I was the number one divergent on her list." I can see the surprised looks my parents share at my admission. "He was under a tremendous amount of pressure and it made him treat everyone unfairly. I almost didn't choose leadership because of him."

"How did the two of you end up together? It sounds like you didn't much like each other." My mom asks with a slight smile.

"We just got to know each other. I had a particularly awful fight with Four one night, and even with my best efforts I couldn't hide it the next day during training. Eric noticed it and he actually talked to me. He showed me he had a human side, and he was surprisingly good at advice. I know this will be hard to hear, but as we've mentioned before Four and I may have been still living under the same roof, however our relationship completely crumbled as soon as I joined leadership, and we had evolved into nothing more than roommates who didn't particularly get along. Eric and I became friends, and then it just started developing into something more from there. We were beginning a relationship without either of us acknowledging it."

"You fell in love." My mom smiles. "You can't help that. When love happens, it crosses all preconceived notions. Just like a when Dauntless girl falls in love with an Erudite boy." She replies, gently taking my father's hand in hers. They share a tender look.

"Yes, just like that. He's the love of my life." I smile and my parents return the smile. "Had you told me I'd be here right now after I met him that first day I would have thought you to be insane." I laugh and both of my parents join me.

"He's certainly not who I thought my daughter would end up with, however he's proven that there's more to him than his appearance and outward persona." My father replies.

Before we have a chance to speak again, we hear Shauna making an announcement on a microphone from the stage area of this large conference room.

"We'd like to once again thank everyone for coming to share in the Coulter's and the Davis' special day. I'd like to invite everyone to move towards the front of the room where I'm standing now. We are going to have our expectant parents reveal the gender of their babies! Chris, Will, Tris and Eric can you all come sit in these eats behind me?"

"That's my cue." I grin at my parents who are both smiling widely. "Any last minute predictions?"

"A girl." My father says, helping me up. He then glances at my mother. She places her hands on my belly.

"This is my grandson. I've felt it since the first day we found out." She smiles.

I hug them both before making my way to the stage. Eric quickly falls into step next to me, grabbing my hand and threading it with his.

Once we are all seated, Marlene and Shauna bring out two large boxes, each wrapped with identical wrapping paper. She sits one in front of each couple. I quickly tell Chris and Will to go first.

"Ok, Christina and Will are going to open their present first!" Shauna exclaims. Will gestures towards the microphone and Shauna hands it over.

"We'd like to invite our families up to share in this moment. Could you please join us?" Caleb, Cara, Will's parents, Christina's parents and her sister Rose surround Chris and Will.

We watch as they rip the paper quickly and grab for the lid on the box. As soon as they open it, pink balloons start floating out. "Baby Davis is a girl!" Shauna exclaims, the crowd breaks into raucous cheers and Chris and Will are ecstatic. Chris is in tears and she and Will quickly embrace. Their families join in on their celebration, sharing hugs and handshakes. Eric and I quickly congratulate the happy couple.

Eric leans over to me and brings his lips to mine, kissing me gently, but fully. "Are you ready babe?" He grins.

"Yes!" I smile.

"Ok Tris and Eric, your turn!" Shauna smiles, she hands the microphone to Eric.

"Tris and I would like to invite our families up as well to share in this." My parents and Ethan's family make their way up, with Cara and Caleb scooting closer to our side of the stage. Eric glances around then begins speaking again. "We're missing a set of grandparents, Max and Dana please come up here." I can see the emotion evident on our leader and his wife's faces as they make their way to the stage.

Eric and I quickly rip into the paper and we both grip the lid of the box, pausing for a moment to gather ourselves. I nod at Eric and we lift the lid. Blue balloons immediately escape.

"Baby Coulter is a boy!" Shauna exclaims. The crowd once again cheers and whistles, Eric grabs me and buries his face in my neck. I can feel the moisture from his tears, and soon mine are escaping without permission.

"Our son, Tris." He whispers before placing a hand on my belly. "I'm so happy."

"Me too baby. I love you." I reply, kissing him fully before we break our embrace and celebrate with our family.

I'm soon engulfed in a huge hug by Ethan. He presses a kiss to my cheek then whispers in my ear. "You have made my brother the happiest I've ever seen him. He loves you both so much. Thank you for loving him, and for being part of our family." I tear up at his sweet words and squeeze him a little tighter.

"Thank you Ethan, and I'm so happy to be a part of your family. Your brother is the love of my life." We squeeze each other once more before a throat clears beside us.

"Big brother, can I steal my wife back?" Eric chuckles.

"But of course." Ethan replies before kissing my cheek heading over where Taryn, Max, Dana and my parents are playing with Jasmine and Ellie.

After a couple of hours, the party starts to die down as the guests begin to leave. The families are all lingering, saying goodbye and making promises to visit each other soon. I embrace Taryn tightly, both of us promising to see the other soon, and I extend an offer to watch the girls anytime she and Ethan would like a night alone. As we say our final goodbyes, we are left with our group of friends, our true "Dauntless family".

"Shauna, Marlene thank you both so much. You truly outdid yourselves." I say, hugging each of them tightly. Christina soon does the same.

"You two did an amazing job. I may have competition for my party planning." Chris says with a grin.

"I may need to enlist all three of you to plan my wedding." Rayne replies.

"I can't wait till we can plan Uri and Mar's wedding." Chris exclaims. I notice a quick look between Shauna and Marlene but then they both smile and start sweeping.

The five of us work on cleaning the room, while the men make many trips delivering gifts to the appropriate apartments and taking all of the food up to Zeke and Shauna's apartment. Once we have returned the conference room to its previous state, we head up to continue our own get together at the elder Pedrad's apartment.

We find that our men have set up the food, so we all eagerly fix a plate before heading to the living room to get comfortable. Eric and I sit in one of their oversized chairs, with me on his lap and both of our legs resting comfortably on the ottoman in front of us.

"You two have been working non stop, how'd you finally manage to get time off together?" Four asks Uriah and Marlene. Uri glances across the room at Marlene, and she shakes her head.

"We've just been trying to help cover shifts until we get our next batch of initiates. We're a little understaffed." Uri replies.

"How are you guys ever going to get your wedding planned with your crazy schedules?" Chris asks. Uriah looks down at his plate and Marlene sighs.

"We broke up." Marlene quietly announces. Everyone in the room, including me, is speechless. Chris finally breaks the silence.

"What? When?" She asks, wide eyed.

"A few weeks after Zeke and Shauna's wedding. I've been staying here on the couch." Uri replies.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Chris asks. Will gives her a look and she quickly adds, "I'm sorry, that was insensitive, it's none of our business."

"No, it's ok Chris. We were hoping this was just going to be a break. We had a pregnancy scare, and thankfully I found out I'm not pregnant, but it caused Uri and I to have a conversation about having kids that we weren't on the same side of." Marlene replies.

"But, we've done some additional talking and soul searching and I think we're both on the same page now. Marlene has actually agreed to go on a date with me tonight. Our second first date." He grins.

"Well that means I'll have to get you ready. There's only one chance to make a good first impression on your first date." Chris says with a grin.

"That's true, and I'd love for you to get me ready." Marlene replies. "We have some time though, let's just enjoy the down time with everyone. It's rare that we all have the time to be together like this."

"Indeed it is." Eric replies, giving my thigh a squeeze.

"So a boy and a girl. Should we start arranging the marriage now?" Shauna asks with a smile.

"The party can be here." Zeke grins.

"My daughter is never dating." Will says. "Especially not a Coulter." He grins.

"Your daughter would be lucky to have our son as her husband!" I reply with mock annoyance.

"Besides, our boy is half Tris, so he won't be so bad." Eric chuckles.

"You're both mean as hell." Uriah laughs. "That kid is going to be badass."

"Will and Chris are never going to let their daughter out of their apartment. Having their genes is going to make one beautiful and deadly smart little girl." Rayne says.

"When are you two going to join the baby making?" Four asks Zeke, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh, about 3 and a half months ago." Zeke answers calmly, sipping his beer.

"What?" I yell.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Marlene yells.

Shauna laughs. "We didn't want to steal anyone's thunder."

"We're pregnant. She's fifteen weeks tomorrow." Zeke says with a huge smile. We all offer our congratulations to the happy couple.

"This is amazing. Our kids are gonna grow up together." Eric says with a smile.

"Now we don't have to worry about rushing for number two." I whisper, grinning at him.

"Oh we will still have our number two, and we'll spend a lot of time practicing." He whispers in my ear before giving it a gentle nip.

"First you two started a marriage craze, now a baby craze, what's next Coulter's?" Will asks.

"No clue." I reply with a smile.

"They seem to like sex in public places, maybe we should work on that." Chris says, giving Will a kiss.

"I have no issues with that." He replies.

"Well, you all did say I needed to step up my game." Four replies as Rayne smacks his leg.

"Too much for the first date?" Uriah asks Marlene and she laughs.

We all continue our easy conversations until it's time for Uri and Mar to get ready for their date. We all bid our goodbyes, and Eric and I head out hand in hand.

"Feel like going to the roof?" He asks and I nod. We head up, carefully climbing the steep staircase until we reach our destination. The night is clear and the sky is full of stars. We sit side by side, our hands never leaving each other.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I ask.

"You sounded very Erudite just then." He chuckles. He's still looking off in the distance.

"Baby, what's wrong?" I ask him, gently cupping his cheek and turning his face to mine.

"Max, Will and I have an assignment." He answers hesitantly.

"What kind of assignment?" I ask.

"There's unrest in the factionless, and they've been making attempts to infiltrate Amity. Johanna has asked for help, which as you know is a huge matter of pride for her to even approach us. We're bringing some troops into Amity for an extended stay." He sighs.

"Eric, how extended? How long have you known?" I ask.

"Hopefully not longer than a few weeks tops. It's kind of unknown at the moment since we're not sure exactly what we're dealing with." He replies.

"How long have you known?" I ask again.

"Since Tuesday, after the faction meeting." He replies. "I didn't want to ruin our shower, please know I wasn't trying to hide anything from you babe." He kisses my forehead.

"I wish you had of told me so you didn't have to deal with this alone, but I understand. I really wish you didn't have to go. Can't Four go?" I ask.

"No, he's training Rayne, and Max needed his most seasoned leaders. For obvious reasons we couldn't have you go." He sees the anger in my expression. "You know we couldn't jeopardize the safety of you and our son." He says quietly.

"Just the safety of his father." I reply. Eric's face falls. "I'm sorry, that was unfair. I was upset when you acted this way when I had my last assignment. When do you leave?"

"Monday morning." He replies.

"We only have two more nights." I reply, I can feel tears forming in my eyes.

"Tris, baby, don't cry. It's only for a few weeks. I'll be careful. You know that Will and I will be looking out for each other, we both have families to come home to. We will be safe." He replies, kissing my cheeks where the tears have started to slip down. "You are so strong. You are going to be in charge while we're gone." He smiles.

"Really?" I ask.

"Really, but you'd better act surprised when Max tells you tomorrow." He grins. "I love you." He kisses me, then my belly.

I grab the back of his neck and pull him to me for a hard kiss. He immediately parts his lips and our tongues battle for dominance. "Here or the net?" I ask.

"Here." He replies, kissing me passionately. "Let me get Zeke to redirect the camera babe." He grabs his phone and texts Zeke. The whole time he's texting I'm rubbing his bulge through his jeans.

"This is exactly why our friends give us constant shit about our sex life." I giggle.

"It's worth it. He gave us a half hour, starting now." He replies before attacking my mouth. He begins tugging on my panties. "Did I tell you how much I love this fucking dress on you?" He growls as we slip my panties completely off my legs.

"No, but I have a feeling you will show me." I answer while unbuckling his belt. I unbutton and unzip his jeans, sliding them along with his boxers down to his boots. His erection springs free and I immediately begin stroking him while kissing him.

I straddle over top of him and he rubs himself at my entrance. "God babe, you are always so wet. I need a taste." He plunges two fingers inside of me, thrusting them in several times before removing them and bringing them to his lips. He licks them seductively before grabbing his cock again and lining up with me. I quickly lower myself on him, groaning at the sensation of being filled. I bring my lips to his, licking his lip for entrance and tasting myself faintly on his tongue. I buck my hips to his, riding him and meeting his violent thrusts.

"Baby, you feel so good." I pant, feeling the sweat gathering on my brow.

"Tris, can you comfortably bend over the ledge?" He asks, gesturing towards the same ledge I jumped off of so long ago. I nod. He gently lifts me off of him, kicks his boots and pants off and we walk over, he carefully bends me over. "I'll be gentle." He whispers in my ear before entering me from behind.

"Don't you dare be gentle. I'll hold on tight." I reply. He pulls my hair hard and kisses me until we're breathless, pounding hard and fast into me. "I want to hear you Eric."

"God, I fucking love you Tris. I love fucking my wife." He moans.

"I love my husbands cock inside of me. You're gonna make me cum all over it." I reply, feeling my orgasm quickly building. I tighten my walls around him and he moans loudly. I cum hard, screaming his name. He follows immediately, spilling his warm seed inside of me while kissing my neck.

"You have no idea what you do to me when you start talking like that." He whispers while trying to catch his breath.

"I love you so much Eric." I reply, as he gently pulls out of me and helps me to stand straight.

"I love you too baby. So much." He kisses me softly. We hear the text alert on his phone. "We should get dressed." We both quickly get our clothes back in place and Eric replies to Zeke's text.

"We now owe Zeke a work break without a camera at the time and place of his choosing." He laughs.

"I can handle that." I reply with a laugh of my own. "We should go home though. We have a lot more fun to have, and we don't need to get Zeke in trouble."

"You don't have to ask me twice." He grabs my hand and we head down the steep stairs back towards our apartment.

Before we can make it back to our apartment we're stopped by Peter, with Al a few steps behind him.

"We heard that we're shipping off to Amity with you." Peter says. Eric's tension radiates off of him as he grips my hand. "Look, I don't want there to be any hard feelings. I'm here to apologize for my behavior towards Tris, and the way it disrespected you Eric."

"That's noble of you Hayes, but each time you apologize to my wife you end up doing something again to hurt her. I can't help but question the sincerity of your words." Eric replies.

"That's understandable. I hope to prove to you that I am sincere. We're going to be part of the same team, so I wanted to make a clean start. I'll see you Monday morning." He says, offering his hand to Eric. Eric sighs but shakes his hand.

"See you then." He replies tightly as we walk away.

"First Four, and now Peter?" I giggle.

"Don't get any ideas, I tolerated Four at first only for you. I never thought I'd actually become close to the broody asshole." He laughs. "This thing with Peter is just to make this assignment a little less tense. It's bad enough we have to deal with the factionless, but to have infighting with the team could make it much worse. I'm actually impressed Hayes had that in him."

"Me too. I don't trust him though, but he's a strong fighter and excellent marksman. I actually feel better knowing he's going." I reply. "Now get me home before we have to call Zeke again." I trail my fingers along the line of the zipper on his pants before walking away, hearing him quickly chase behind me.


	20. Inside My Head

**Thank you for all of the reviews! I might be a _little_ slower in updating, work and life in general have gotten quite crazy and I don't have as much time for writing as I did before. I usually have a couple of chapters written ahead, but I'm almost caught up on both of my active stories. Stick with me, I promise not to leave these unfinished.**

Chapter 20: Inside My Head

Eric POV

"You're going to wear a hole in your carpet." Four says, watching me warily.

I'm pacing around my office, going over my mental checklist one more time for this assignment. I need to focus on the assignment, but I also need to tie up loose ends before I leave my wife and unborn son. Tris just went in to meet with Max, and I know they're discussing her being in charge of Dauntless while we're away.

"I think better this way. Where the hell is Uriah?" I ask.

"The same place he was thirty seconds ago when you asked, on his way up here." He replies as the door opens and Uriah bounds in. "You wanted to see me, oh fearless leader."

"Do you know how to knock?" I growl.

"Angry Eric is back again. Fun." Uriah rolls his eyes.

"Uriah, I need a favor." I reply, he looks up and catches the seriousness of my expression.

"Yeah, ok what's going on?" He asks.

"You're still sleeping on Zeke's couch, correct?" I ask.

"Well, yeah. Marlene wants to take this whole thing slow. Why?"

"I'm leaving. Max, Will and I are heading to Amity for an extended assignment. Can you stay with Tris while I'm gone?" I ask.

"Wow. Yeah of course I can. How long are you gonna be gone?" He asks.

"Hopefully no more than a few weeks. Uriah, I'm serious, I need you to just be there for her, make sure she's ok. I don't want her to have to be alone this whole time. He's going to help," I gesture at Four, "but I need someone there with her so she's not alone in our apartment at night. She refuses to stay with anyone, so I thought that bringing someone to her would be best. She'll fight me tooth and nail on this, but if it's you she won't have too much to fight about."

"You have nothing to worry about, I'd do anything for Tris. You know that man." He replies.

"Ok, good. I've already had a bed moved into our home office for you. It's a tight fit in there, but it's only temporary. I'm already on the list for a larger apartment. Fuck, what if that comes up while I'm gone?"

"Eric, relax. If the apartment is ready, we'll get her moved. You have nothing to worry about with that." Four replies.

"The baby's room though. Tris has plans..."

Uriah cuts me off, "And we will help her. The girls are all dying to help her decorate anyway. Eric, we will take care of her."

"Look, I'm trusting the two of you with the most important things in my life. Please take care of my wife and our son."

"We will, you have nothing to worry about." Uriah replies. "When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow morning." I reply.

"Ok, I'll be over as soon as my shift is done tomorrow." Uriah replies.

"And she'll be in the office with Ray and me during the day anyway. We've got her covered." Four replies.

"Uriah, I've asked Zeke to keep you off overnight shifts as much as he can. But if you do have to work at night do you think Marlene would stay with Tris?"

"We'll make sure she's not alone at night." He replies.

We're interrupted by a knock on my door. "What?" I yell.

Tris opens the door. "Babe, could you try being a little less assholish?" She laughs. "Hey guys." She smiles at Uriah and Four.

"Hey roomie!" Uriah exclaims, hugging Tris. The look on her face is priceless.

"Roomie?" She asks.

"Yeah, I just asked Eric if I could crash with you guys while he's gone since Zeke and Shauna need their privacy, if you know what I mean." He wiggles his eyebrows and throws me a look. "He told me it was fine, but don't be mad at him for not asking you, I really begged him."

It's times like these where I really love that little idiot. He's covering for me. I need to remember to stop being such a prick to him.

"Uri, you know I don't mind if you stay. You're like family. It'll be nice to have someone around with Eric being gone anyway." She smiles. Fuck yeah! Not only is she not mad at me, she likes the idea of the knucklehead being around.

"So what did Max want?" Four asks curiously.

"He's putting me in charge while they're gone. You answer to me now, Eaton." She says.

"Great. Is it too late for me to volunteer for this assignment?" He asks me, earning a punch from Tris.

"I'd gladly switch places with you." I sigh. "You all want to grab some lunch?"

"Yes, I'm starving." Tris replies.

"How are you so damn small? You eat more than me now." Uriah replies, shaking his head as we exit my office.

"It's called eating for two. Our son is a hungry little guy." She replies, rubbing her belly.

Once we make it to the cafeteria, we spot Rayne, Marlene, Will and an obviously emotional Chris. We make our way over to join them.

"Hey everyone." Tris says. Everyone returns her greeting except Chris.

"How can you be so happy right now?" Chris asks.

"I'm not honey. I'm just as upset about them leaving as you. I just don't want our last day together to be sad." She replies. I put my arm around her and kiss her temple.

"I'm almost five months pregnant and my husband is leaving. Fucking hormones." Chris says as Will puts his arms around her and whispers in her ear.

"That's why I'm going to stay with you. You won't be alone." Marlene says, smiling brightly. I notice that she and Uriah are holding hands. It's a good sign.

I see Max walking rapidly towards us and I stop eating. The look on his face is unreadable.

"Eric, Will I'm sorry but we have to leave pronto. There's been word from our scouts of a plan for an attack on Amity. Four, Rayne if this situation gets worse, be prepared to form and lead your own teams as needed. I need you at the train in thirty minutes. That's the best I can do. We'll debrief on the train. Wear your tactical gear." Max quickly commands, before walking away without a glance.

"Come on babe." I say to my shell shocked wife. "Uriah, remember what I said." I say as I am standing up. Will and I exchange handshakes and hugs with our friends before both going our separate ways to have a few brief minutes with our wives.

"I'm not ready for this." Tris says through tears and we walk to our apartment.

"We're going to be fine babe, the quicker we can diffuse this situation, the quicker I'll be home to you." I reply as I unlock our door. I immediately throw the last minute items into my two duffel bags. Tris walks into our bedroom quietly, and when I glance in I notice she's getting my uniform and gear out of the closet for me. She's in a daze and operating completely on autopilot.

I walk into our bedroom to change and pause briefly to take Tris into my arms and hold her for a few minutes. I feel her shoulders start to shake as the dam finally breaks.

"I love you so much Tris. I'm going to be fine. We have our best soldiers going with us." I softly say while rubbing her back.

"I love you too. I need you to be safe. Don't go out alone. Don't try to be a hero. You have to come back to us. Promise me Eric." She replies.

"I promise you. I waited every day since the day we met to have you and I'll be damned if I'm leaving you, or our son anytime soon."

Tris pulls away from our embrace and starts handing me parts of my uniform. "He needs a name." She says.

"He needs a Dauntless name." I reply with a grin.

"Yes he does." She replies, handing me my gun belt. "I like Sage or Gage."

I look down at the belt, "Gunnar." I look at Tris and she's smiling.

"Gunnar Sage Coulter?" She asks.

"I love it baby. What about you little guy? Do you want to be Gunnar Sage Coulter?" I ask, giving her belly a rub and kiss.

"I think so, he's moving like crazy." She smiles.

"Ready to walk with me?" I ask, reaching for her hand.

"As I'll ever be." She replies. We walk hand in hand to the train, where we're greeted by Chris, Will, Max and Dana.

"We have about seven minutes till the next train." Max says, while looking at his watch.

I wrap my arms around Tris and hold her, whispering how much I love her in her ear. I lean back and look at her face, brushing her hair back before kissing her gently. We deepen the kiss, and for once no one dares to catcall us. I hear the distant rumble of the train.

"Gunnar, daddy loves you so much. You behave for your mommy while I'm gone." I say while caressing her belly. "Baby, I love you so much. I'll get in touch as soon as I can. I love you." I say before giving her a quick kiss.

"I love you too. Please be careful. Remember your promise." She replies.

Max, Will and I start running for the train, tossing our bags into the open car before swinging inside. We all look out and watch our wives for as long as we can. I take a deep breath before sitting on the far side of the car, back against the wall.

"You both have to know I hate tearing two expectant father's away from their families. I'm sorry to you both." Max sighs.

"We understand, it's part of the job." Will replies.

"Agreed. So what's going on?" I ask.

"The factionless have been sneaking into Amity on a pretty regular basis. Their lax security and free range thinking makes them an easy target to begin with. Since Amity is responsible for the food production, the factionless have started getting much more bold in their efforts to forage. They've been armed, and there have been several violent scuffles. What I didn't mention before is that there have recently been casualties reported as well. Amity has no means to fight back, so that's where we come in. At first, we thought it would be as simple as placing guards round the clock at some of the hot spots, but our scouts found attack plans. It appears that the factionless may have enough weapons to do a small scale attack on Amity, and they could do it at any time so we need to prepared." Max explains.

"Do we know how many we're dealing with?" Will asks.

"No. That's the biggest issue we have. There's no idea what their numbers are, and even if we could find out the numbers we still have no idea how many of them are armed." Max replies.

"How many entry points so far?" I ask.

"Five confirmed. There are some weaknesses as well that could also be penetrated. We're going to put troops at each spot." Max replied.

"How many Dauntless do we have onsite now?" I ask.

"Seventy five, not including us. We're going to need squad leaders. Any suggestions?" Max asks.

"Zena, Lynn and Bear." Will says without hesitation.

"I like those choices, Any suggestions Eric?" Max asks.

"As much as it pains me, I'd say Peter. He's an asshole, but effective, and a great sharp shooter, and he demands attention." I reply.

"Agreed." Will replies.

"Ok, it's settled then." Max says, while visibly relaxing a bit. "Now, tell me how those wives and babies are progressing. We need a good moment before getting in the thick of it."

"Chris is doing well. No more morning sickness, and she's feeling good for the most part. She's definitely all over the place with her moods. Baby is doing well, progressing perfectly. We did decide on a name, Ava Rose." He replies with a smile.

"Ava. That's lovely." Max replies.

"Yeah I like it. Rose after her sister?" I ask.

"Yes." He smiles. "How about you guys?"

"Tris is good, she's a little over six months and as you can see she's still all baby. Her moods have evened out some, and fuck she's gorgeous carrying our child." I smile at that thought. "Our baby boy is strong, a little kick boxer. We decided on a name tonight actually, Gunnar Sage."

"That is a perfect Dauntless name. I love it." Will replies.

"My first grandchild, Gunnar Sage. It has a great ring to it. I can't wait to meet Gunnar and Ava." Max smiles.

We continue to talk about the babies, and other lighter subjects. Eventually, the need for conversation wanes and we fall into a slightly uncomfortable silence. I sit facing the door, with my back against the opposite wall. I rummage through my bag until I find my phone, mentally kicking myself for already wanting to talk to her less than an hour after leaving. I unlock the phone and see I have a text waiting from her. I smile as I read it.

 _T: Yes, I'm sending this as I watch the train disappear. I love you and I already miss you._

 _E: Well I'm sending this from the train as soon as we've finished our debriefing. I miss you already too._

 _T: We're pretty pitiful._

 _E: I'm not ashamed. How are Chris and Dana?_

A few minutes pass before her next text arrives.

 _T: Dana is strong, she's been through this so many times before so she's like a rock right now. Chris is a mess. She finally wore herself out from crying, so she's napping, her head is actually on my lap right_ _now. She apparently likes her hair played with as much as you. :)_

 _E: How about you babe?_

 _T: I'm ok. Really. This is what we signed up for when we became leaders._

 _E: That's very logical of you._

 _T: I can see your smirk, even though text. ;)_

"Three minutes until we jump." Max bellows.

 _E: We're about to jump. I love you both._

 _T: And we love you. Be safe._

I put my phone back into my bag, grab both duffel bags and prepare to disembark the train. We toss our bags out and then each jump. We head towards the main gate bags in hand.

Once inside the Amity compound, we are shown to Johanna's office.

"Gentlemen, have a seat. Thank you so much for coming. We've already settled the soldiers that arrived earlier into our initiate dorms, and we have arranged rooms for each of you." She says.

"Thank you Johanna. Please, fill us in on the activity." Max replies.

"For the past few days, it's been a little worse. As you know, we have always had an issue with the occasional factionless coming into the compound. We typically would feed and clothe them before sending them on their way, but I do have to admit we have let some stay on."

Max tenses at Johanna's admission, as do I.

"Johanna, how many factionless have you allowed to stay here permanently?" I ask.

"There are three here now. A family, the wife was heavily pregnant when they arrived, and she had the baby within hours or arriving. We took them in." She answers quietly.

"How long ago?" I ask.

"Several weeks." She replies.

"We'll need to speak with them." I reply, trying to keep my voice even.

"Yes, I had assumed as much. I've already sent for them." She replies. "They haven't been disruptive at all."

"Johanna, with all due respect, allowing a factionless to live freely amongst your people isn't safe. Who's to say they are not helping in these attacks?" Max asks.

"It's not in our nature to turn those in need away." Johanna replies firmly. Before she can continue, there is a sharp knock on her door. "Come in."

"Johanna, we were told you wanted to see us." I turn to the familiar voice and see two people I'd never imagined seeing again. Drew and Molly. Drew's eyes widen in almost horror when he sees us.

"Yes, Drew, please come in. Have a seat." She gestures to the empty chairs against her wall. Molly is holding a swaddled baby in her arms, her expression neutral. She's got a much better poker face.

"Are we in some sort of trouble?" Drew asks nervously.

"These are some of our Dauntless leaders. We've called for their assistance in the conflict we are having with the factionless and we thought you may be of service to them." She calmly says. "Let me introduce you..."

"Johanna, that won't be necessary. We're well acquainted with Drew and Molly." I reply, not bothering to disguise the disgust in my voice.

"Oh, how do you know each other?" Johanna asks.

"I personally made them factionless after they tried to murder my wife." I reply evenly, glaring at the two. Drew's pale face reddens deeply, and Molly looks confused.

"Murder your wife? Are you delusional Eric?" She sneers.

I begin to stand up but Max places a hand on my arm. "Johanna, these are two former Dauntless initiates who were removed from Dauntless. They attempted to throw Tris over the railing and into the chasm. If Four hadn't of heard her screaming, she'd be dead." Max says evenly.

"Oh my word. Is this true?" Johanna looks sharply over at the two. "You tried to murder a Dauntless leader?"

"She wasn't a leader at the time. She was in our class. We were just trying to scare her, honest. We told him the same thing." Drew replies while gesturing at me.

"When Four found her she was barely hanging on to the railing of the chasm." Will adds. "And they didn't just pick her up and toss her over, they beat and kicked her. She was black and blue and incredibly sore for days. He also touched her inappropriately."

"What?!" I exclaim, not caring that my anger was getting the best of me. "You touched _my_ _wife_? Why have I never heard of this?"

"Eric, calm down right now or else I'll have to dismiss you. If you can't handle this, walk away." Max says in a low voice. "We will discuss what Will just said later."

"She really did screw her way to the top, huh?" Molly says, trying to lower her voice so only Drew heard her but we all turn our faces to her in disgust.

"Molly, I am appalled. How dare you speak of another leader in that way? Or another woman for that matter? You act as if the only way a woman could possibly be taken seriously or be in a position of power is if she uses her body to do so. Tris Coulter is a fine leader, a strong and powerful woman and she is this man's wife. It'd be in your best interest to stop letting your personal feelings of jealousy interfere with this investigation. You both will cooperate fully with Dauntless, and if we determine that you're fit to continue to be part of Amity we will consider letting you stay. You will _not_ mistake my kindness for weakness." Johanna seethes, a tone I've never once witnessed from her. Max, Will and I share the same surprised look.

"And if we don't cooperate?" Molly asks quietly.

"I will have no choice other than to let these Dauntless leaders arrest you." Johanna replies.

"Which means you would fall under our jurisdiction for punishment." Max replies.

"Choose wisely." I add.

"We will cooperate." Drew quickly says. Molly shoots him a disgusted look. "Molly, do you really want to risk our lives over a bullshit fight with Tris? It's over, it's in the past. Think about us. Think about Sadie." He says, gently caressing his daughters head.

Molly sighs before looking at Max. "We will cooperate." She says resolutely.

"Good choice. Johanna can you show us to a room where we can talk privately with Molly and Drew?" Max asks.

"Certainly." Johanna stands and we all get up to follow her. Max places a hand on my arm.

"Will, go ahead, I will be right there." Max says before turning his attention to me. "Eric, you will stay here with Johanna."

"No, absolutely not." I reply angrily.

"Yes you will, that's an order son. You are entirely too angry at them to be able to participate in this questioning. We need their cooperation, and they are more likely to speak freely with Will or me than they would with you. Eric, I'm not angry at you. You're looking at the people who tried to kill the woman you love, and you just learned additional information about the incident. Stay here, talk to Johanna. I know this isn't where you want to be, but I need you to have a clear head. Got it?"

"Fine." I reply, sitting down. Max nods at me before walking out of the room. Johanna quickly returns.

"Eric, I'm incredibly sorry, I had no idea they were former Dauntless."

"All the more reason you should be more careful in who you let in." I reply, regretting the harshness of my tone immediately. "Johanna, I'm sorry, that came out wrong. What I'm saying is you have walls surrounding Amity for a reason. We send guards to your walls for a reason. It's to keep the bad ones out. You are so kind and trusting, but some people aren't what they seem."

"I see that. What did they do to Tris?" She asks.

"She had just moved into the top rank during the second phase of our initiation process. The fear landscapes. Molly and Drew were on the cusp of failing, and they also were attempting to get into the good graces of another initiate, Peter Hayes, who was in second place at the time. Now, don't get me wrong, Peter wasn't much better in terms of how he treated Tris, but he never resorted to violence. Drew and Molly waited until Tris had left her bunk to go into the hallway for water and they blindfolded her, picked her up and took her to the bridge over the chasm where they proceeded to beat her into submission and attempt to throw her off the bridge. Four had just left my office after he and I had exchanged some pretty unpleasant words, he heard a scream and ran towards it. He found Tris hanging from the railing of the chasm. He pulled her to safety and beat the hell out of Drew while Molly ran off. Once Drew was treated for his injuries, I kicked he and Molly both out of Dauntless."

"Oh my word. What animals. I assume you just heard of the inappropriate touching today?" She asks.

"Yes." I reply, dragging my hand through my hair. "She's never told me about it."

"She may never talk about that. It's a very traumatic thing for a woman to deal with. Take solace in the fact that she did talk to someone about it, even if it wasn't you. Tris and you had a very different relationship then, as I recall she was with Tobias at that point correct?"

"She was, yes. I should have been there for her. Fucking Jeanine Matthews."

"You were there for her Eric. She may not have known it at the time, but you were saving her and the others like her. You are one of the most arrogant and outspoken people I've ever met, yet with any mention of the role you played in preventing the genocide that Jeanine had planned you completely clam up. Why can't you accept the recognition where it is due?"

How the hell did the nicest fucking woman in the world just completely call me out? I actually shake my head at the thought of what's happening right now.

"Eric, I was there for your trial at Candor. You remember that, right?" She presses. "Have you ever talked to Tris about it?"

"She knows I helped apprehend Jeanine, she knows that Jeanine was my mother's sister." I reply, leaning back in my chair and resting my head against the wall.

"Have you ever talked to anyone about what came out during your trial, Eric?" She asks quietly and carefully.

I want to run screaming from the room. How is it that I am completely raw in front of this woman? This is why I avoid Amity like the plague, because of Johanna. Before my wife, there have only been two people who cared enough about me to try to actually know me: Max and Johanna. Everyone else, my parents included, were content to let me continue to crumble under the impenetrable outer shell I created.

"No." I reply simply.

"Not even Tris?" She asks.

"Especially not her." I sigh.

"Eric, you have come so far on your own. Leaps and bounds, and for that I am incredibly proud of you. But, your unhappiness is still there, no matter how far you try to bury it. You should talk to someone, anyone really, it would help."

I sit forward in my chair and look at Johanna. "I'm happy now. Really, truly happy for the first time in my life. I have the woman I've always loved. She's carrying our son. I have friends, real friends. I've made peace with Four, which was something I was never capable of doing in the past. He and I are friends again like we were before that stupid fight in initiation that knocked me out of first place. I'm really ok."

"Eric, when Tris was hurt, did you think about doing it again?" She asks quietly while keeping steady eye contact.

She's got me cornered. She fucking knows.

"Johanna, that's unfair. I thought my wife was dying. You can't tell me if you were about to lose the only thing you've ever loved you wouldn't think about dying too."

"Thinking about it is one thing Eric. You've tried to do it twice by your own hand."

There it is, my Achilles heel. My deepest, darkest secret revealed. It was bad enough that Johanna, Max, Jack and Marcus had to hear me admit to my two suicide attempts under truth serum, but to have both Max and Johanna try to talk to me about them afterward has always been met with horrible results.

"That was because of Jeanine." I reply weakly.

"Eric, if something had of happened to Tris..."

"Johanna, no, please don't say it. I can't." I reply, suddenly feeling nauseous.

"Please just talk to someone. I worry about you. Max does too. You've been exhibiting signs ever since she was shot." She reaches across her desk and takes my hand. "I've been there too. I fought for my life against the man who did this," she gestures at the long scar on her face, the result of an abusive ex husband, "only to try to take my own life because I couldn't find a way to deal with my demons. I see it in you, no matter how much you hide it."

She's right. I'm entering what I've come to call my "danger zone". The high pressure, life or death situation where someone may need to be the hero. Lives could be in danger, so the pressure is back on to keep everyone safe. I've never wanted to be the hero, I could give two shits about the recognition or attention and before I had someone to love and live for I really didn't care if I lived or died.

The first attempt was after Tris' fight with Peter. I'd had a particularly bad meeting with Jeanine the night before, and to say I was in a foul mood would be putting it mildly. I watched, no let's be honest I fucking encouraged him to practically kill her. And why? Because I had a shitty day. I went to the infirmary that night to see her, and I lost it. I walked to the bridge over the chasm, the same one I'd forced her best friend to hang over. I stepped over the rail and was ready to jump when Max found me. I was able to lie my way out of it that night, I acted drunk as a skunk and let Max lead me back to my apartment and put me to bed. We never spoke of it again until the truth came out during my trial. Even then I refused to talk about it.

The second attempt was the worst. Again, Jeanine, with a little of Jack Kang thrown in. I'd left a meeting with Jeanine with what I thought was finally the hard evidence Jack needed for the arrest warrant. I had a list given to me by Jeanine of suspected divergents, separated in two columns: kill and capture. The number one divergent on her capture list was Tris. I brought it to Jack and was promptly told it wasn't enough since it didn't have anything that tied it to Jeanine. His suggestion was to bring her Tris and "see what she does". He wanted me to use her as bait, and didn't seem too incredibly concerned with what could happen to Tris. When I got back to Dauntless that night I felt lost. I took my pistol, went out to the roof and put it to my head. When I pulled the trigger, it jammed, and instead of trying to fix it I threw it off the roof, and spent the next hour crying and being pissed at myself for not even being able to kill myself properly. This time, it was Four of all people who found me, and I once again blamed alcohol for my behavior. He begrudgingly helped me inside and to my apartment, he was always a Stiff at heart. He never asked me about it, and why would he? He hated me as much as I hated him back then, so by the next morning in training it was all but forgotten and he thought my fouler than usual mood was the result of a hangover.

"Each time it was Tris." I say, not realizing I'm thinking out loud. Johanna cocks her head to the side.

"How so?" She asks.

"The first one was after I forced her to fight a much stronger opponent during training. He could have easily killed her, and I watched it happen, and encouraged him along. The second was when I was told to bring her to Jeanine in an attempt to get Jeanine to finally show her hand so we could arrest her. The last time I actually thought about doing it was when I thought she was going to die from her wounds." I admit.

We're interrupted by knocking on the door, and Johanna glances at me worriedly before beckoning them to come in.

"We have the information we need from Molly and Drew. Johanna, I'm going to respect your decision when it come to how you'd like to proceed with them." Max says while sitting back down in front of her desk. "Will's still with them, having a more informal session with them. They're comfortable with him since they know him from initiation. Johanna, could you point us in the direction of our rooms and the dorms? We need to debrief the troops." Max says.

"Certainly. I can personally show you if you'd like." She replies.

"Sounds good, I'm ready if you are. We can fetch Will once he's done." Max replies as he stands to leave. "Come on Eric, time to motivate the troops, always your favorite."

I nod and move to follow him out of the room. Johanna whispers to me once he's out of earshot "We can continue this conversation."

I shake my head in response. "No, I'm fine. Thanks for checking on me."

I don't miss the sad look she gives me before turning away.


	21. Saying Goodbye

**AN: Possible emotional triggers in this chapter.**

Chapter 21: Saying Goodbye

Tris POV

I've spent the day laying on my couch, nursing a pounding headache. I check my phone every few minutes just in case someone calls to give me an update on Eric. He's been gone over three weeks now. The first two weeks were hard to deal with, but not unbearable since we were able to keep in contact. For the past week, I haven't heard from him. Will has been in contact with Chris, and through him I learned that Eric's squad is part of the team who is trying to locate where the factionless are gathered. The factionless have turned into a formidable opponent, each time a lead was explored all Dauntless could find were empty houses or buildings that had obviously been inhabited recently. I've never gone this long without talking to Eric since we first started working together.

"Trissy, what do you want for dinner?" Uriah calls out from the kitchen.

"I don't care, my stomach is in knots and my head is killing me." I reply.

"You've gotta eat something, how about some chicken?" He asks.

"No."

"Steak?"

"No."

"Pizza?"

"Maybe. What's going to be on this pizza?" I ask.

"Whatever you'd like. The cafeteria will make it to order."

"I don't think I want pizza." I sigh.

"Shauna's making beef stew, how about I pick some of that up?" He asks.

"Uriah, just do whatever you want, as long as it doesn't involve us talking about dinner." I reply, frustration evident in my tone.

"You are extra moody today." Uriah says as he plops down on the couch. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Bring my husband back." I sigh.

"I would if I could. He's much better at cheering you up than I am." He grabs my feet and plops them on his lap. "How about a footrub?"

"Like I'm going to say no to that." I reply with a smile, which he returns.

"Finally, I'm doing something right." He replies. "Oh man Tris, your poor feet are really swollen. Let me know if I hurt you, ok?"

I nod. "Uri, I know I've been bitchy and I'm so sorry. You've been amazing. You guys got me moved into a whole new apartment, you helped with the baby's room and you've just been great to me this whole time. Marlene is lucky to have you."

"This is definitely good practice for when we have kids." He grins.

Even though we know that Marlene and Uriah had different opinions on having kids, none of us have been bold enough to ask anything more about it. I feel this is a good opening.

"Uri, do you want kids someday?" I ask.

"Oh yeah, I definitely do. I have this whole time. When Mar thought she was pregnant I was so damn excited." He sighs. "She wasn't though. She couldn't see herself having kids with me."

"What? Not having kids at all?" I ask.

"No, not having kids with me. She thought I was too immature to handle the responsibilities of being a father." He says quietly. This is the most somber I've ever seen Uri.

"Oh gosh, I had no idea. But you have talked and worked it out since, right?"

"Yeah, we had quite a few conversations about it. I am a big kid, I admit it, and she rarely sees my serious side. So, I vowed to show it to her more often, and I have been. Plus, she realized that being silly and funny is just part of my personality, it's not who I am as a person." He replies.

"Uriah, that's very mature of you. I'm proud of you." I smile. "For what it's worth, I think you'll make an excellent father one day."

"Thanks. That means a lot." He grins.

"I have a bit of experience dealing with someone who is misunderstood." I smirk.

He laughs. "I guess you do. He's changed though, he's not the same asshole he was during training."

"No, he's not. He can be when the situation is warranted, but he's such a good man. God, I miss him so much." I say, my eyes getting teary. "I'm so over this bullshit with the factionless, and Amity doing dumb things on top of it."

"What did those stoners do?" He asks.

"They let Drew and Molly live there, no questions asked." I reply.

"Seriously? Why?" He asks.

"Because Molly was pregnant and about to pop. When Johanna heard all the stuff they'd done to get them kicked out of Dauntless, she was apologetic, but still. Apparently, they've been helping our troops, but really what if they're just sending them on a wild goose chase?" I ask.

"Max, Will and Eric are much smarter than that. You know that Tris."

"I just want him home. It's been over three weeks. As much as I love you Uri, I just want him here with me. What if somethings happened to him? What if they're afraid to tell me because I'm pregnant?" I start crying.

"Tris, I know you're stressed right now, but you have to try to think positively. You know this isn't good for the baby." He replies, gently rubbing my feet and calves.

"I'm trying Uri. My head is pounding though. All I can take are these Acetaminophen and they just don't touch it." I reply.

"Tris, you've had this headache on and off for days now, can you at least humor me and let me take you to the infirmary? Pretty please?"

"That would require me getting up from this couch, and I'm awfully comfortable." I reply.

"I'll help you up." He jumps up and stands next to me with his hands extended.

"Uri...please..." I whine.

"Nope. I promised your scary as fuck husband that I'd take good care of you and his son. Don't make this difficult. Come on, get up. Besides, Marlene is working and she'd love to be the one to take care of you." He replies.

I take his hands and let him pull me to a sitting position. "Whoa, I think I sat up too fast." I reply as dizziness washes over me.

"Tris, you don't look so good. Are you gonna be sick?" Uri asks.

"I'm fine..."

 **Uriah** **POV**

"Tris...oh shit..." I angle my body to support Tris as she slumps forward and reach for my phone to call Four.

"What's up?" He asks.

"I need you here right now. Hurry, come to Tris' now!" I yell and hang up the phone.

"Tris, can you hear me?" I check her pulse and it's fast. I start to pick her up as Four rushes through the door.

"Fuck, what happened?" He asks, grabbing her from me and holding her bridal style. We begin to run towards the infirmary.

"She's had a bad headache, when she sat up she got dizzy and passed out." I reply, trying to keep up with his pace. Being short and wiry has never been as much as a disadvantage as it is right now. We burst though the doors of the infirmary and see Marlene.

"Oh my god. This way." She begins running towards a room in the back. "Abby, get Dr. Scott right now. Also, page Dr. Morgan from Erudite." She yells toward the frozen red head. "Now Abby!" She screams and Abby finally starts moving. "What happened?" She asks as Four lays Tris down on an exam table.

"She's had a headache for a few days now, off and on. I was helping her up to bring her here and she passed out. Mar what's wrong with her?" I ask nervously.

"I'm not sure." She replies while checking Tris' vitals. A doctor bursts into the room, followed closely by more nurses. Suddenly, Tris starts violently shaking.

"What's wrong with her?" Four yells. Abby walks over.

"You guys have to leave the room. We're going to take good care of her, but we need space and a clear head. Come with me." She gently says, leading us over to a group of empty chairs. "I'll be back as soon as I can." She offers a tight smile before running back to the room.

"I can't just sit here." I say. "She was shaking."

"I know man, I'm fucking worried." Four replies, joining me while I pace. We watch as more nurses run to Tris' room.

"Fuck, what's going on?" I yell in frustration, walking towards the closed door that Tris is behind. I can't see or hear anything, so I pace back and forth outside the room. Soon, Abby steps out and I yell for Four.

"She's having a seizure. We're trying to get her stable and taking her to Erudite. Her blood pressure is dangerously high. Who can make medical decisions for her?" She asks, speaking quickly.

"Eric's in Amity, fuck, Abby what needs to happen?" Four asks.

"Call him, get him to Erudite now." She replies before heading back into the room.

"I'm calling Will. Eric's been unreachable all week, his squad is out in the field." I say watching Four try to reach Eric unsuccessfully.

"I'm calling Max." He replies.

"Fuck!" I yell as Will's voicemail picks up. I leave a message asking him to call and tell him it's an emergency.

"Max's went to voicemail too. I'm calling Johanna." Four replies. The door to Tris' room bursts open and they are wheeling her bed out as a team surrounds her.

"Uri, Four get to Erudite now." Marlene yells over her shoulder to us.

"Come on, let's get the train." I yell at Four, who seems to be in shock. "Four man, let's go now!" I run off with him on my heels.

We spend the train ride to Erudite trying to get in touch with anyone who's in Amity. Four spoke with Johanna, who is desperately trying to get in touch with Eric. Once we get to the Erudite hospital, we're immediately shown to a waiting room. A doctor soon meets us there.

"Are either of you next of kin to Mrs. Coulter?" He asks immediately.

"No, we've been trying to get in contact with her husband, he's out on a mission. What's going on?" Four asks.

"Does she have any other immediate family?" The doctor asks.

"Caleb!" Four yells before grabbing his phone and walking away.

"Her brother lives here." I reply. "What's wrong?"

"Caleb is on his way." Four replies.

"We're working to get her stable. It's imperative that we find someone who can make medical decisions on her behalf. I need to get back to her. I'll be out shortly." The doctor replies before jogging off.

"This is bad. This is bad." I repeat. "Fuck. I should have made her come to the doctor sooner."

"Uriah, shut up." Four growls. For the first time since I've met him I see tears in his eyes.

"Should we call someone else?" I ask.

"Marlene is already taking care of letting everyone who needs to know back in Dauntless." He replies.

"I got here as fast as I could. What's going on?" Caleb asks, out of breath.

"We're not entirely sure. All we've been told is her blood pressure is high and she had a seizure while they were working on her back at Dauntless." I reply.

"Caleb, they've been asking for someone who can make medical decisions on her behalf." Four adds.

"Where's Eric?" He asks, panic evident in his voice.

"On an assignment, a mission in Amity. He's been gone for three weeks and his squad has been unreachable for almost a week. We can't reach anyone that's on the assignment with him, but we have Johanna looking for someone to help." I reply.

The doctor comes back into the room. "I'm Dr. Morgan, I apologize for being abrupt earlier." He says. "Are you Tris Coulter's next of kin?" He asks looking at Caleb.

"I'm Caleb Prior, her brother. What's going on?"

"She has a condition called eclampsia, which means her blood pressure is dangerously high and she's suffering from seizures as a result. She's no longer seizing at the moment, but her blood pressure is too high. It's dangerous for her and the baby at this point. The baby is in distress. We're trying everything we can to stabilize her at the moment, but we need to know if it comes down to saving Tris or her unborn child who should our focus be on?" The doctor says gravely.

"No, no, no, I can't do this." Caleb says, grabbing his head. "Her husband needs to do this." He says.

"From what I understand, her husband isn't reachable. Mr. Prior, we need an answer."

"What happens with each choice?" I ask.

"As I said, we are trying to treat her as best we can, however the only way to treat the eclampsia is to deliver her baby." He replies.

"She's barely six months." Four says.

"She's 25 weeks. I have to give you all the facts, as it stands right now both Tris and the baby's lives are in danger. If we perform an emergency c-section to deliver the baby it could save Tris. The baby's survival rate at 25 weeks gestation is favorable, however Tris' elevated blood pressure is putting the baby in severe distress. There's also risks involved with performing any surgery, but if we do nothing at all Tris nor her son will survive this." The doctor replies.

"Do whatever it takes to save my sister. Please save my nephew too, but whatever it takes to save Tris do it now." Caleb croaks out, tears finally spilling down his face.

"I'll have a nurse bring you the paperwork. We're going to get Tris stable, and once we do we will get her prepared for surgery, I'll be out with an update soon." Dr. Morgan replies before walking back through the double doors.

Caleb collapses on a chair and Four sits beside him, putting an arm around his shoulders.

"I hope I'm doing the right thing." He says in between tears.

"I think if Eric were here he'd have made the same decision." Four replies.

"I need to call my parents." Caleb says and exits the waiting room.

I keep scrolling through my contacts list on my phone, randomly calling people who I know are part of this mission. Voicemail, next, voicemail, next, "Hello?"

"Peter!" I yell into the phone.

"Jesus Christ Pedrad, what the fuck do you want?" He hisses.

"I need you to find Eric." I reply.

"I don't exactly know where he is, and he's working on something pretty damn important at the moment..."

"Peter, it's about Tris and it's an emergency." I reply, cutting him off.

"Oh shit. Ok, let me try radioing him." He replies. I hear him using a handheld radio and trying different channels. I finally hear someone responding to him, but I can't make out the voice.

"I've got Max, but he only has minutes." He replies.

"Tell him Tris is in the hospital in Erudite, it's an emergency and we need Eric here." I hear Peter repeating the information over the radio.

"Max is going to find him. What's going on?" Peter asks.

"More than I can get into right now. Just do whatever you can to get Eric here as quickly as possible." I reply.

"I'm on it, I'll do my best. Whatever's going on, I hope she's alright. The kid too." He replies, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Me too man. Call me back if you find him, ok?"

"Will do." He replies before disconnecting.

Four looks over at me. "You finally got in touch with someone, good."

Caleb walks back in, eyes bloodshot, and sinks into a chair. "I can't reach my parents. I think there's some sort of event for the council and their families tonight. Cara is on her way down." He says quietly.

"I finally got a hold of Peter, he's trying to find Eric." I tell Caleb and he nods.

We sit in the waiting room in silence, minutes slowly ticking away. Zeke soon walks in.

"Any news?" He asks, we all shake our heads. "The girls are a mess, Rayne and Marlene stayed behind to try to keep Shauna and Chris calm."

"Good idea, we don't need Chris or Shauna in this same situation." Four replies.

"How long is this going to take?" Caleb says, breaking the silence. "It's been over an hour. Why can't they tell us something?" He starts pacing. Cara soon walks into the waiting room and embraces her fiancé.

"Has anyone been able to reach Eric?" Cara asks.

"No. I finally got in touch with one of the Dauntless there, he's working on finding Eric." I answer.

My phone rings and the caller ID indicates it's Peter calling, I quickly answer.

"Peter, have you found him?" I ask.

"Uriah, what the fuck is going on?"

 **Eric POV**

I pull off my helmet and run my hands through my disgusting hair. Six days without a shower will really get to you after awhile. I sit down on the rickety wooden chair inside of the umpteenth abandoned house we've gone though looking for the factionless hiding place. Will sits down across from me, tossing his own helmet onto the table between us.

"Every fucking time." He growls.

"Yeah, this one is more of the same. Dirty dishes in the sink, cans with food remnants in the trash, the fucking shower still had water droplets on the curtain. How are we missing them?" I reply, frustrated again.

"Max's team moved forward, but he thought a few of us should hang back here. This one was a little different, it seems we may have either caught the occupant right before they bolted, or perhaps they don't realize they've been caught at all and plan on returning." He replies.

"Good thinking. It's worth a shot. If nothing else, we can cover each other while we get a real shower." I chuckle.

"You read my mind. Go ahead, there's enough of us here to cover you." He replies.

"Don't have to tell me twice." I reply, heading into the surprisingly clean bathroom. This house is definitely different than the rest we've been in, and I think for the first time since we've been scouring the unknown outskirts of Amity we may be closer to finding who's responsible for the attacks.

I spend just a few minutes showering, wanting to be mindful of the rest of the teams needs. As I'm putting my pants back on, I hear a knock on the bathroom door.

"Just a minute, I'm almost done." I reply. I hear footsteps walking away and I hurry to at least get pants on so someone else can use the shower. I open the door and yell that the showers open before stepping into a smaller bedroom to finish getting dressed. The door opens and I see Max coming in.

"Hey, I thought you had headed to scout the next location." I say while lacing my boots.

"Eric, I need you to come with me." He replies.

"Ok, sure." I reply without looking up, lacing my other boot. I stand up to put my gun belt and tactical vest on and I glance at Max. His expression is blank, and he's shifting his weight nervously.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Let's talk and walk. You ready to leave?" He asks.

"Yeah." I reply. We head out of the house and I see one of the Amity trucks waiting outside with Peter driving and Johanna sitting in the front. She gets out of the truck and moves to sit in the back seat.

"Max, please sit up front." She says and he jumps inside.

"What's going on?" I ask. "Why is she out here?" I gesture at Johanna.

"Get in the truck Eric." Max commands.

"Is something wrong?" I ask, climbing into the back seat next to Johanna. Peter immediately puts the truck in gear and starts driving away. "Hey, what's going on? Where are we going?" I ask, starting to feel uneasy.

"Erudite." Max replies.

"Why? What would Erudite have to help with the factionless issues? Are we picking up serums?" I ask. I see Peter's eyes flit to mine in the rear view mirror.

"Eric, we don't have a lot of information, but Tris has been taken to the hospital in Erudite." Johanna carefully says.

"What? Why?" I stutter.

"I was contacted by Tobias Eaton, all he could tell me was there was an emergency and that we needed to find you." She replies, reaching for my arm.

"He didn't say why?" I ask. "Does anyone have a phone? Mine is dead."

"We have no service out here." Peter replies. "Uriah called me earlier and said the same thing, that Tris was in Erudite and there was an emergency."

"How long will it take us to get there?" I ask.

"Less than an hour." Max replies.

"I need to know what's going on. Hayes do you have your phone?" I ask. He reaches in his pocket and hands it back to me. I check and there's no service. "Fuck!" I yell.

"Eric, try to stay calm. We're getting there as quickly as possible. Whatever is going on, you can handle it, you just need a clear head." Johanna says.

"I'm going to be sick." I say, Peter abruptly stops the car just in time for me to open the door and step outside. My body is wracked with dry heaves and I'm finding it hard to breathe.

"Eric, take deep breaths." Johanna says from behind me, I can feel her rubbing my back. "It will help with the dry heaving."

I vomit until there's nothing but bile and acid coming up. My mouth burns and the tears are falling. I take a few deep breaths before sitting back inside the cab of the truck. "Ok, let's go, please."

Peter starts driving again and I'm acutely aware of a conversation between Max and Johanna. I keep looking obsessively at the phone, waiting for any type of service to return. Finally, there's a signal. I quickly dial Uriah's number.

"Peter, have you found him?" He asks.

"Uriah, what the fuck is going on?"

"Eric, thank god. Where are you? Are you close?"

"Less than an hour. Uriah what's going on?" I ask again.

"Are you driving or anything? You're not alone right? Is someone other than Peter with you?" He asks.

"Uriah, fucking talk. Stop asking me goddamn questions." I yell. Johanna reaches for my arm again. I hear shuffling on the phone.

"Eric." It's Four this time.

"Please tell me what's going on."

"Tris is in surgery, she's having an emergency c-section." He begins and I swallow a sob.

"She's not even 26 weeks." I choke. Johanna grabs my hand.

"She had something happen with her blood pressure and she had a seizure. Look, Eric, we had to get Caleb here to make medical decisions. They're doing everything they can." He replies.

"What do you mean? What medical decisions?" I ask.

"The only way to save Tris was to deliver the baby. The doctor asked if it came to a decision if they should save Tris or the baby. Caleb finally made the decision, he told them to do whatever it takes to save Tris and to try to save the baby too."

"Is the baby ok? Is Tris? Oh my fucking God."

"We're all waiting for an update. They needed to stabilize Tris before they could do the c-section, all they said about the baby was he was in severe distress. The doctor has been gone a little under two hours." He replies.

"Four, how bad is it? I want to know everything."

"Uri called me and told me to get to the apartment. When I got there Tris was passed out. We ran her to the infirmary, and Uri explained Tris has been complaining of a bad headache. The infirmary doc told us her blood pressure was really high and she was having a seizure. They stabilized her enough to move her here, and you know the rest." He replies. "Eric we're all here for you, whatever happens man. Just try to breathe."

I finally break down. Johanna takes the phone from me and hands it to Max, who continues a conversation that I can't concentrate on. I feel Johanna put her arms around me and guide my head to her shoulder.

"Whatever happens, you're going to be alright. You're going to be strong." She repeats.

We stay like this for the rest of the trip until the truck finally comes to a stop. I get out of the truck and tear into the hospital. I find someone sitting at an information desk who tells me how to get to the appropriate waiting room.

"What happened?" I yell. "What's going on? Where's Caleb?" I ask as I enter the waiting room. Four walks over and places a hand on my shoulder, guiding me to a chair.

"Caleb stepped out to try calling his parents again." He replies.

"What's going on?" I ask again.

"Tris is in recovery. The doctor said it was a difficult surgery, but she made it. Her blood pressure has already come down a lot and she should wake up any time. She's going to need to be here for awhile so they can monitor her. They saved her, Eric. She's alive." He replies.

"What about Gunnar? Our son?" I ask.

Four stops talking and takes a deep breath. "Eric I'm sorry..." I jump up.

"Don't you fucking say it!" I scream. "Don't you dare." Four stands up with tears in his eyes and places both hands on my shoulders. "Don't do it..." I start to sob.

"I'm so sorry. They tried, it was too late, he was already gone. They had to take the necessary time to get Tris stable so she had a chance to be saved." He says quietly. I feel arms wrap around me and break my fall when my legs give out. I'm lowered slowly to the ground, and Four and Max sit next to me, with Johanna in front of me.

"Why? Please tell me this isn't happening." I lower my head to my knees and wrap my arms around myself. "This can't be happening." I cry until my body shakes and my eyes burn. I don't know how long I'm sitting on the floor, but when I look up I realize I'm completely surrounded by my friends and family, all sitting on the floor with me. The wall I thought I was leaning against is actually Max and Four, while Uriah and Zeke surround my sides and Cara, Caleb and Johanna are in front of me. I'm surrounded by love.

"Family of Tris Coulter." A woman's voice calls out.

"That's us." Cara replies.

"Tris is awake and asking for her husband." The woman, who appears to be a nurse replies.

"That's me." I croak, my voice broken and thickened by tears.

The nurse squats down in front of me. "My name is Amy. I'm so very sorry for your loss sir. Would you like to see your wife?" She asks and I nod.

Max and Four help me to my feet, and I follow Amy through the double doors.

"Does she know?" I ask. Amy stops walking once we reach a closed door to the room I assume Tris is in.

"No. Dr. Morgan is in with her now, he wanted to wait until you arrived before giving her the news." Amy replies quietly.

"I can't do this. She's going to know as soon as she sees me." I reply feeling the tears fall down my face.

"She very well may, but she needs you right now. You need each other." She replies. I nod and she opens the door slowly and I follow her into the room.

I can see Tris is groggy, but she's awake. Her doctor is standing at the foot of her bed, and there's a chair pushed right next to the bed. I walk over to her side and bend down to kiss her forehead. She looks at me and an expression of horror passes through her features.

"No." She says quietly. "Please tell me you're not going to say what I think you are." She immediately starts crying and I'm unable to contain my tears. I lean down and press my forehead to hers and she grasps my shirt as we both cry together.

"Tris, Eric I'm very sorry for your loss." Dr. Morgan quietly says. "The situation was dire for both Tris and your baby, and unfortunately there was nothing we could do to save him.

"No, that can't be true!" She cries out. "Eric tell me he's lying."

"I love you so much. We are gonna get through this." I repeat against her cheek.

"Did I cause this?" Tris chokes out.

"Tris, there's nothing you could have done to prevent it. You followed all of our advice and suggestions, you've been in great health each prenatal visit and you came in for treatment once you knew there was a problem. You didn't do anything wrong." He replies.

"But I had the headache for a few days. It's my fault." She cries.

"Headaches are a common side effect from pregnancy. You cannot blame yourself." He replies. "Would you like to see him?" He asks.

Tris looks at me and I nod. She then looks back at Dr. Morgan and replies in the affirmative. He excuses himself from the room and assures us they'd bring our son soon.

"I can't believe this is happening." She says in her broken voice. "Eric I'm so sorry."

"You didn't do anything wrong baby. There's nothing you could have done." I reassure her, stroking her hair. We hear a soft knock at the door and the nurse comes in carrying our bundled son. Tris reaches out her and the nurse places the impossibly small baby into my wife's arms.

"He's so tiny." Tris says as the tears freely flow down her cheeks.

"He's one pound four ounces." The nurse replies. "Thirteen inches long. I'm going to give you some privacy, I'll be back in a little while." She quietly slips out of the room.

"I'm so sorry Gunnar. I love you so much." She says softly. We sit in silence for a bit, both crying until Tris looks back at me. "Do you want to hold him?"

I nod and she hands me our son, helping me place him in my hands.

"He fits in one of your hands." She whispers.

"He's perfect." I choke out.

We spend the rest of our time together saying goodbye to our son.

 **AN: This was an extremely difficult chapter to write, and I considered rewriting it many times. I'd written this with the rest of the story already outlined, and ultimately decided to keep this chapter as I originally wrote it, as it's important in the development of my interpretation of these characters and how it will affect Tris and Eric's marriage.**


	22. Pain Demands to be Felt

**AN: Thank you for all the reviews and support for the last chapter. It means a lot to know that you understand why I took the direction I did with this story.**

 **Two months later.**

Chapter 22: Pain Demands to be Felt

Eric POV

I shuffle the paperwork on my desk for the fifth time, desperately looking for anything to do to numb my mind. I open my desk drawer and reach for the bottle of scotch that's been my best friend these past several weeks and take a long draw right from the bottle. No matter what I do, I can't get my brain to shut the fuck up.

Tris spent several days in the hospital after her surgery. There were multiple things she needed to be monitored for, most importantly organ failure, blood pressure spikes and any blood clots as a result of the eclampsia. I stayed by her side constantly, practically living in her hospital room with her, and we spent our time quietly mourning the loss of our son.

We had him cremated, and the tiny urn with his ashes was taken to our apartment for us. We couldn't bear to have any type of funeral for him, nor could we even think about having a memorial ceremony. We had no memories to share. We were both dying inside.

Once Tris was released from the hospital and we returned to our apartment we began to slowly fall apart. Our friends were thoughtful, and they had already disassembled the crib and other furniture from Gunnar's room and placed the items into a storage. The walls were painted over, and when we walked into the room it looked like all of the rest of the rooms in our apartment, except it wasn't. Our friends all walked the line between being there too much or too little, with Chris and Shauna always falling into the too little category. Both women were consumed by the guilt they felt seeing their bellies swollen with their healthy children while my wife's body returned to her thin prepregnancy stature, her arms bare of the child she carried for six months.

Tris began seeing a therapist, but no matter how much she begged I refused to go. I can't deal with the thought of exposing myself to a man who I don't even know, who will look at me just like everyone else in this faction does. The looks are the worst, the furrowed brow, the saddened eyes and the lips tugged down in a slight frown. The faces may change, but the looks are always the same. I fucking hate it. I've blown up at these well wishers one too many times already, earning myself several talking to's from Max.

Tris and I spent five long days and nights together in our apartment not talking to each other, actually a more accurate statement would be we spent five days and nights with Tris talking to me and being met by my silence before she decided she'd had enough. She left me a month and a half ago, and we've avoided contact since then. Technically, I've avoided contact with everyone, with the exception of what's absolutely necessary for me to at least half ass my job.

I take another long draw from my scotch bottle, and relish the burn it causes on my empty stomach. I slump back in my chair and close my eyes to ward against the room spinning. My quiet reverie interrupted by sharp knocking on my office door.

"Go away!" I yell.

The door opens and Four walks in. I glare at him. "I never invited you in."

"I never asked." He scoffs before walking over to my desk and grabbing the scotch bottle from me.

"What the fuck?" I yell, reaching for it but stumbling forward a bit before falling back into my desk chair.

"You're drunk, at work, again. It's not even 1:00 Eric." He replies evenly.

"So?" I ask, glaring daggers at him.

"You need to stop this." He shakes his head as he looks at the contents of the scotch bottle. "Your wife needs you. She's struggling Eric."

"So am I!" I yell. "If she needed me so goddamn much she wouldn't be living in your spare room." I spit.

"She wouldn't be living in my spare room if you were the man she married Eric! She fell in love with the person you became with her. This" he stands up and pokes his finger in my chest, "is the person you were when she met you. The asshole leader who tortured her, who made her feel insignificant and unimportant."

"I'm the same fucking person she married." I reply, slapping his hand away.

"No, you're not. You're the drunk asshole who buries himself in his work, who refuses to talk to anyone and who deals with his problems by drowning them in scotch. You need help. You need to talk to someone, Jesus Christ Eric talk to anyone. Just don't end up on a fucking roof again." He yells and I immediately stiffen at his words.

"What..." I begin before being cut off.

"I saw you. I was working in the fucking control room. I didn't just happen to show up on a roof you idiot, you've seen my fear landscape and you know damn good and well I don't do heights. I saw you, you fucking asshole. I saw you bring the gun to your head and try to pull the trigger. I saw all of it, and when you failed I ran as fast as I could to do anything I could to stop you from trying it again. I knew you weren't drunk, but I let you lie to me because honestly I didn't want to know what in the hell was driving you to do what you were doing. At that point I thought you were Jeanine's lap dog. There's even a part of me that wished for you to succeed as karma for what I thought you had done to Amar, and I'm not proud of that. But, as you loved to point out each time you could, I was still a Stiff at heart, so I took you to your apartment, put you to bed and took your fucking weapons before I went home that night."

"Thank you." I reply without meeting his eyes.

"You need help. You lost your child Eric, you're expected to grieve. There's nothing shameful about talking about your feelings, and there's nothing wrong with letting someone in. When you let Tris in over a year ago it changed your life. You have to find a way to do it again." He replies.

"I can't put all of this on Tris." I reply, my voice breaking because of the tears I'm fighting.

"No, you can't, but you carrying them inside of you is putting it on her. She loves you, and it's killing her to not only have lost your son but to have lost you too. Eric you haven't spoken to her in weeks. You avoid all of us, and only speak to anyone because you're forced to during work hours. You drink yourself stupid every night in your apartment. I can't tell you how many times Will, Uri, Zeke or I have put you to bed after finding you passed out on the floor." He notices my surprised expression. "How the hell did you think you made it to bed most nights?" He asks.

"I didn't think." I reply, not knowing what to say.

"Eric, you can talk to me. I'm here man, whatever you need. But, if you're not comfortable with me, please find someone to talk to about everything. What about Max?" He asks.

I shake my head. "No, he has enough stress on his plate right now with dealing with the aftermath of the Amity issue plus Dana's been going through her own issues losing her parents and Gunnar in the same week." I reply, voice breaking again when mentioning my sons name. "I'm gonna be sick." I croak before Four jumps up and grabs my trash can, holding it under my slumped head before the vomiting begins. He waits until I've settled down to speak again.

"Is there anyone Eric?" He asks.

"Johanna." I whisper, before crossing my arms on my desk and laying my head down.

"Ok, good. Want me to call her and get her here?" He asks.

"Yeah." I reply. I feel him lift me so I'm in a sitting position and he rolls my chair back.

"I'm going to move you to the couch, can you help?" He asks. I nod slightly. He lifts me under my arms and I push myself with my legs. I fall in a heap onto the couch. He pulls my legs up and puts something soft under my head. I hear him cleaning my mess and I slowly succumb to the fatigue that is washing over me in waves. The next thing I know, I'm being gently shaken by a hand on my shoulder. I look up and see the hand belongs to Four.

"Can you sit up?" He asks.

"Yeah." I reply, surprised at how scratchy my voice sounds. He helps me to get into a sitting position.

"Here, drink up." He says, handing me a cup of coffee.

"You cleaned." I say in between sips of coffee. He chuckles.

"Someone needed to, it smelled like a college frat party in here." He replies.

"Thanks." I reply. "I'm going to move to my desk chair." He nods his head and extends his hand, helping me to move from the couch to my chair without too much nausea. "My head." I moan as I scoot my chair to my desk.

"Johanna is right outside, I'm going to let her in." He drops a bottle of water and some painkillers on my desk before walking to the door and letting Johanna in.

"I'll be in my office if you need me." He says as he's about to close my office door.

"No!" I say, much louder than I intended. "Stay?" I ask. "Please." I say while looking down at the pills on my desk.

"Sure, yeah, anything you need." He replies as he and Johanna take a seat in front of my desk. I open the water and take the painkillers.

We all sit in uncomfortable silence, until Johanna finally speaks.

"Eric, can you look at me?" She asks.

I shake my head, "The looks are the worst. Everyone looks at me the same, like I'm fragile. Like I'm going to crumble."

"You're strong. Look at me." She demands. I glance up and meet her eyes and she's smiling. "You're strong because you asked for help this time."

"My life is falling apart." I reply.

"Yes, it is, but like anything else that's broken we attempt to fix it." She replies.

"What if it can't be fixed?" I ask.

"But Eric, it can. You're still here. You've made it past the hard part, now it's time to heal." She replies.

"Tris left me."

Johanna glances over at Four and he nods.

"She left who you've become. I told you before, you're not the man she married." Four replies evenly.

"But today you've taken the first step to becoming that man again. You're a good man, much better than you give yourself credit for." Johanna continues.

I look in my drawer for another bottle of scotch and find nothing.

"They're all gone, I took them while you were passed out." Four says and I glare at him.

"Eric, how often are you drinking?" Johanna asks.

"Every day for the past several weeks."

"I see. You drink at work?" She asks.

"Only when it gets too quiet." I reply.

"Have you thought about doing it again?" She asks. I lay my head back down on my crossed arms on my desk. "Eric? Have you?"

"Yes." I reply.

"Have you tried?" She replies.

"No."

"What stopped you?" She asks quietly.

"I love my wife."

"What do you do when you have those thoughts?" Johanna asks.

"I look for her smell. Sometimes I go into her office. It smells like the lotion she uses. Or, at home it's her pillow. Lately, I drink to try to numb the pain."

"Before, each time you attempted suicide, it was related to Tris, correct?" She asks, and I don't miss the sound of Four taking a sharp breath. I pick my head up and look at him.

"Yes. You want to know why, don't you?" I ask him quietly.

"Only if you want to tell me." He replies.

"I had a terrible meeting with Jeanine the night before I made Tris fight Peter. I encouraged him to beat the shit out of her because I'd had a shitty night and day. That was the first time, I went to the infirmary to check on Tris and I saw the shape she was in. The shape I allowed and encouraged Peter to put her in. Max found me at the chasm, I'd stepped over the rail. I acted drunk and he got me home, just like you did. He found out at my trial that it was a suicide attempt."

"You had a trial? I had no idea that when I caught you on the roof it wasn't your first time." He replies.

"Yeah, Max and I both had to go under truth serum to testify against Jeanine, and to prove to the faction leaders that we were never part of her plans. As for the roof incident, that was my second, and last attempt. Jeanine had finally given me the catch or kill list of divergents, Tris was the number one catch. I brought it to Jack and thought it was enough to arrest her but he wanted more proof. He wanted me to turn Tris in and use her as bait. That's why you found me on the roof." I reply and he shakes his head.

"I had no idea, I completely misjudged you." He replies.

"Everyone did." I reply.

"Why'd you let them? You could have told any of us at any time. Why did you let us hate you?" He asks.

"Because everyone was going to hate me regardless. I'm an asshole, and I know I am. You and I were closer friends than anyone I'd ever had in my life when we were in initiation together. You, who I actually considered my best friend at one time, believed I'd killed Amar. If my own best friend thought I was capable of such monstrosities why the hell would anyone else believe that I wasn't?" I countered. "When you turned on me, I hated you for it. I despised you Four and it's no big secret that the feeling was mutual. The difference was I quietly hated you while you publicly set out to ruin me."

We sit quietly for a few moments, and I can tell by the look on Four's face that he's shocked by my confessions.

"Tobias, I know I came here to help Eric, but I think repairing the relationship between the two of you may help as well. Do you agree?" Johanna asks.

"Of course. He and I are friends again, or I'd like to think we are. I just never thought about what you just said." He gestures at me. "And you're right, I treated you like complete shit and I turned people against you. Tris especially. After I knew the truth about you I still poisoned her against you. Especially once you two started training together. I realized that no matter what I said about you, that she'd never look at me the way she did you. I'm sorry, for all of it. You were my best friend, the only friend I'd ever had at that point in my life, and I shouldn't have believed that you would have hurt someone." Four replies.

"Thank you. I'm sorry too, for being such an asshole for so long. I made it pretty easy for people to believe I was as ruthless as I portrayed myself to be."

"This is how you heal, by digging deep and starting at the beginning. You came to Dauntless to start a new life. Losing your first real friendship started a downward spiral in you, would you agree Eric?" Johanna asks.

"Yes, it definitely changed me. Not that it's all his fault." I reply.

"You're right, it's not." Johanna agrees. "How old were you when you joined leadership?"

"Eighteen, right after iniation."

"And how long into your leadership training did you and Max get involved with Jeanine?" She asks.

"A little under a year." I reply.

"How'd you handle the demand of everything you were juggling?" She asks.

"Leadership training was difficult, but I made it to full fledged leader at the nine month mark. I'd barely gotten my feet wet as a leader before Jeanine approached me. She wanted to use our family connection to her advantage, and she requested a meeting with me. Max was suspicious, so he attended the meeting under the guise of me still needing guidance as a leader. Surprisingly, Jeanine approached both of us. She was subtle at first, but after several meetings she made her plans crystal clear, but it took months to actually get enough evidence to arrest her. By then, another class of initiates were here and I was expected to act like it was business as usual. By this time, it's no big secret that I was crumbling under the pressure of everything. I acted recklessly during training, I freely admit it. I hung an initiate from the railing over the chasm, I ordered and encouraged brutality during physical training and I ordered Four to throw knives at a weak initiate. Tris being selfless as she is stepped in and took that initiates place, so I watched as he threw knives at her and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. Overall, I was a fucking mess."

"Although you are considered an adult by law at eighteen, it's an absurd amount of responsibility that was forced on your shoulders. It doesn't surprise me in the least that you started to buckle, especially once you had someone to care about." She replies.

"You said Jeanine wanted to use your family connection, what do you mean?" Four asks.

"She was my aunt. My mother's sister." I reply. "And that's the reason that most of my family hates me." I don't miss the shocked look on Four's face.

"You do understand that you aren't responsible for their feelings towards you, correct?" Johanna asks.

"That I actually do accept. I was never a good enough child for them anyway, but turning against Jeanine sealed my fate. My brother and I are close, and that's the only relationship I care about as far as family is concerned. Tris' family, you, Max and my close friends are more family to me than the people I share DNA with." I reply to Johanna.

"You became very attached to Tris, correct?"

"Yes."

"While she was with Tobias?"

"Yes, before really. She got to me when she jumped off the roof first." I reply.

"So, there was your next trigger. Watching someone you cared about become closer to someone else." She says. "And it didn't help that he was your nemesis at that time."

"Yes, I can strongly agree with that."

"Then, things started to change. You waited patiently and were rewarded when you got the girl so to speak." Johanna smiles. "You are in love, you've made peace with your oldest Dauntless friend, and you are excelling at work."

"Mmhmm." I agree.

"Then, Tris is shot. You almost lost her. How'd that make you feel?"

"How do you fucking think, Johanna?" I snarl.

"Eric!" Four yells, but Johanna reaches out for him.

"It's ok, let him express whatever emotions he needs to." She replies. "Eric, can you answer me without asking me a question?"

I put my head in my hands and take a deep breath. "If she died, I wanted to die too."

"Why?" Johanna presses.

"Because my life is shit without her. She's all I've ever wanted, and the thought of losing her was too much." I reply.

"You need to put a value on your own life Eric. She makes you a better man, but you are already a great man without her. You created these walls around you as a method of protecting yourself from ever being hurt. You don't think you deserve the recognition you receive for being a hero for stopping Jeanine. You question the motives of anyone who dares to like you, much less love you, and you refuse to allow many people in. The people who care about you, the ones who either see past your walls or that you've voluntarily let inside, they value your friendship and love." Johanna replies.

"I valued your life even when I thought I hated you. That day on the roof. No matter what evil thoughts played through my mind, I didn't act on them." Four adds. "Even if you refuse to see it, you mean something to a lot of people. Not just Tris."

I sit and silently contemplate their words. It feels sincere, and for a few minutes I feel a bit lighter.

"Now, the harder things. You almost lost Tris again due to the complications of childbirth. The doctors were faced with a choice, to save your wife or your son. Caleb had to make that choice for you. How does that make you feel?" Johanna asks quietly.

I can't stop the sobs that break through. Johanna grasps my hands across the desk, while Four puts a hand on my shoulder until I can collect myself.

"Caleb made the same decision I would have made." I croak.

"You do understand that those doctors did everything they could to save them both, but the condition Tris was in proved to be too much." She quietly adds.

"No." I reply.

"If they'd have taken her in for surgery before they could stabilize her, she would have died on the table." Four quietly says. "There's also no guarantee that Gunnar could have survived. He died before he was delivered. The doctors even said that even if they had prepped her immediately and delivered him that he may have been stillborn anyway. You would have lost them both."

There they are, the words I've avoided hearing for the past two months. I refused to talk to Tris about how Gunnar died. I refused to ask the doctors. I would walk out of the hospital room any time she'd ask for details. I've avoided the truth, which is exactly what Four just laid out for me. Even if Caleb had asked them to save Gunnar first, I would have lost the love of my life and possibly our son too.

"I haven't wanted to hear that." I reply.

"I know, Tris told me you've refused to talk about it."

"Has she heard it explained that way?" I ask.

"Yes, from everyone who was there when the doctor came out to tell us what happened, from her parents, from all her friends, from her therapist, and from both Ray and me every time she breaks down at home. The difference is as of maybe a week ago she finally believes it, where you've refused it. Do you blame Caleb? The doctors? Tris?" He asks.

"No. I blame myself. If I had of been there..."

"No!" Four yells and both Johanna and I jump. "It still would have happened. Uriah and I were there, Uri saw when Tris passed out. One minute she and Uri were having a conversation and the next minute she was slumped against him. Nothing you could have done would have changed the outcome. Eric, you didn't have to make that decision. Caleb is hurting too, but he used logic to make that decision. What shape would you be in right now if you were the one to decide? Even though it's no ones fucking fault, you would be so much worse off than you are right now!" He finishes with a shout, and is red faced and angry. "Stop blaming yourself. You have a wife, she's alive and grieving too, but she's here. You go crazy at the thought of losing her, but she's one floor away from you and it's like you're already gone. Eric, you deserve happiness, and it fucking sucks that you both lost Gunnar. You have each other though."

"What if she doesn't want me back? I've been an asshole. I don't blame her for leaving me." I reply.

"She loves you." Johanna replies.

"We got married so quickly. I was caught up in the moment and my own feelings and I dragged her into it."

"It takes two people to get married Eric, unless you forced her into it somehow I believe that she wanted to be married as much as you did." She replies.

"We were drunk and she was living with him." I reply, gesturing at Four. The shock on Johanna's face is more than she can control with her usual poker face.

"That's a gross simplification of a much bigger story." Four replies. "The two of you had been in love with each other for months without admitting it, and she and I had been done for even longer. Why would you cheapen it like that?"

"It's true." I shrug.

"No, it's absolutely not true and you know it. Stop making excuses." Four replies angrily as Johanna places her hand on his arm and shakes her head at him.

"Eric, you don't have to explain the circumstances of how you and Tris got together. It doesn't matter. She loves you and you love her. You choose to be married to each other. You fall into a cycle, when a situation is outside of your control you panic. You react by distraction, drinking, avoidance and most of all anger towards others. You need to start facing your pain, deal with it and move on. If you continue to sweep your feelings under the rug, or try to drink them away you'll never heal. You have a wife who you love, and she is your partner in life though the good and the bad. There's no reason for you to be grieving alone. A lot of marriages cannot survive a loss like this, but you both can. You and Tris share in this tragic loss, and you need each other right now. But Eric, you have to clean up your act. No more drinking yourself into a stupor. No more hiding your feelings and no more avoidance." Johanna says.

"You're the reason I avoid Amity like the plague." I counter.

"Excuse me?" Johanna wrinkles her face in disgust.

"You read me like a book. You're one of three people in my life who see completely past my walls. You're also more likely to get me to open up and be completely honest. You know more about me than anyone. You scare the living hell out of me, so I avoid you on your home turf." I admit.

"You'll stop avoiding me now, won't you?" She asks.

"Yes. Thank you Johanna." I quietly reply. She stands to offer me a hug which I quickly reciprocate.

"You're brave Eric, and a wonderful man. Don't you dare forget that. You're special to me. You call me, visit me or invite me here any time, day or night. Tris too." She says, giving me a tight squeeze. "Tobias, you and I have a conversation to continue, so would you please be so kind as to drive me back to Amity?"

"Yes ma'am." He replies with a smile. He stands to leave but turns and offers me his hand. I take it and he pulls me into a hug.

"Yes I'm fucking hugging you, you bastard. You needed it." He says before we break the hug.

"Thank you." I reply and he nods.

"Your wife is alone at my apartment, Ray is in a meeting with Max and won't be home for a couple of hours. Go talk to Tris." He says before walking out the door.

I follow behind them, closing and locking my door. I head up to my apartment, where I quickly shower, brush my teeth and change my clothes. I then head to Four's apartment and knock on the door. Once Tris opens the door, panic starts to kick in and I'm unable to speak.

"Are you here for me?" She timidly asks.

I nod in response and reach out for her. She quickly pulls me inside the apartment and closes the door before she embraces me. We hold each other tight, both crying, until we have no more tears.

"I love you so much. I miss you. I'm so sorry for pushing you away." I say.

"I love you too. God I miss you more than you can imagine. I've waited for you." She replies, leading me to the couch to sit next to her.

"I talked about it. Everything."

"Good. You needed to, and obviously it helped. You're here." She replies, squeezing our entwined hands.

"It did. I talked to Johanna. And Four was there, he kind of gave me the tough love speech, but I needed it. I'm sorry I haven't been here for you Tris. I want you to come home so fucking much."

"We need to talk." She replies and I nod. "You need to understand why I left. You refused to speak to me, about Gunnar, or about anything. It was like I wasn't even there. I'd wake up at night and find you sitting in his room, staring into space. You were just gone Eric, I felt it would be easier to deal with your silence if I didn't have to see you every day. Do you blame me for losing him?" She asks with tears in her eyes.

I pull her onto my lap and wrap her in my arms. "Never. Baby, you did everything you could do. You ate right, followed all of the doctors advice, you were perfectly healthy, everything. No one could have stopped this from happening."

"I blamed myself, because I'd had a headache off and on for a few days and didn't do anything about it. I also thought Caleb should have told them to save Gunnar. My therapist has helped a lot." She replies.

"You did everything right. Caleb made the same decision I would have, based on what the doctor had told him. I'm not angry at him, are you?" I ask.

"I was at first, but not anymore." She admits.

We sit in comfortable silence for several minutes. She nuzzles closer to my neck. "I've missed your smell."

"I've missed yours too. I often go into your office because it smells like you. Your pillow too."

"I heard you've been drinking a lot." She whispers.

"I have. I'm not going to do that anymore, try to numb myself from feeling anything." I reply. "I want to be here for you Tris. Whatever we have to do to get each other through this I'm all in." I reply.

"Can we do our therapy together? I'm willing to talk with Johanna if you're more comfortable with that."

"Will you be comfortable with that?" I ask.

"Yes. She already knows all of your secrets, so I know you trust her. She's always been wonderful to us." She replies.

"She does know everything about me. Tris, I want you to know everything too, but I don't know when it'll be the right time for us to talk about it." I reply and she squeezes me tighter.

"I want to know everything Eric. I want us to face it all together. You aren't in this alone. I need to know, no more secrets."

I decide to tell her everything. The suicidal thoughts that have plagued me for years, the two attempts, my triggers and how I'm feeling now. She quietly listened, sometimes with tears streaming down her cheeks as she wiped mine. She didn't interrupt.

"Johanna is right. You need to value yourself. I wish you could see yourself like I see you." She replies. "Eric, you are my everything. You spend entirely too much time and energy suppressing how you feel, until it all becomes overwhelming and it just bursts out of you. You have so many people who love and care for you."

"I thought I had nothing to live for back then. I felt like if I was gone, not only would nobody miss me, some of the people I'd hurt by my actions would feel vindicated. I won't lie, I do have thoughts when things have been really low, but I want to live. I love you."

"I love you too. If you ever get to that point again I need you to talk to me. I can't lose you. We're going to get through this together." She replies.

"Please don't ever leave me again. Please don't give up on me. I'm ready to let you in. You know everything now, no more secrets." I reply as I stroke her hair.

"I'll never give up on you, or on us. We lost our son. God Eric, he was so alive and so real. He loved your voice, every time you would speak he'd move around. We felt his kicks. We're never going to forget that, but we can make it through this together."

"He was real, we held him in our arms. We'll never forget him." I reply, feeling a tear trailing down my cheek.

"Thank you for talking about him." Tris whispers.

"I can't keep pretending he was never here." I reply and I can feel her head nod under my chin.

"I want to go home." She replies.

"Let's go." I reply. We pack Tris' things and make the walk back to our apartment, hand in hand, finally ready to begin the healing process together.


	23. Healing and Feeling

Chapter 23: Healing and Feeling

Tris POV

It's been three weeks since moving back home and Eric and I have been working together cohesively. Eric was true to his word, he stopped numbing himself with alcohol, and started the process of dealing with his pain. The day after I came back, we made the trip to Amity to visit Johanna for counseling and the session went extremely well, with Eric and I both able to openly communicate about the loss of our son, our own insecurities and worries and how to strengthen our marriage. Even though I'm extremely thankful for the therapist I was seeing regularly in Erudite, there's so much more comfort and familiarity for us with Johanna, and she's truly a wonderful therapist. We've agreed to a weekly face to face meeting, either at Amity or here in our apartment, and we often speak on the phone as well.

Today, I'm having lunch with the girls at Christina's apartment. This is actually a big step for me, and Johanna and I actually talked at length during a phone call yesterday about it. I've spent a lot of time with both Rayne and Marlene, living with Rayne for a month and a half definitely brought us closer together, and Marlene visited almost daily while I was there as well, both of them have also been regular visitors along with Four and Uri since I moved back home. Christina and Shauna started coming around little by little, but they both carried their own level of guilt, and if I'm being perfectly honest it was hard seeing both of them and unfortunately it showed. I was so angry at myself for my jealousy of their healthy pregnancies, and between my former therapist and now Johanna I've been able to find a level of comfort and peace in their pregnancies. I was never not happy for them, and I want to find a way for me to tell them.

Marlene agreed to stop by my apartment on her way so we could walk together, and I have a little over two hours before she will arrive. I'm showered, dressed casually in a tank top and shorts, hair dried, makeup done and now I'm just completely fidgety. I decide to visit Eric at work, I've been on leave ever since my surgery and this will be my first time back in the leadership offices. I grab my phone and keys, lock our apartment and start walking to the office. On my way, I literally run into Uriah.

"Trissy! I'm sorry, I was texting and walking. Are you ok?" He asks.

"Yup, I'm fine. I'm still upright." I reply with a smile.

"Are we still on for dinner tomorrow night?" He asks. I had almost forgotten about the double date we agreed to go on with him and Marlene.

"Oh, yes, I'm glad you said something. I almost forgot it. We will be there." He grins and gives me a quick hug before making his way back to the control room.

I make it to Eric's office and surprisingly he has his door open. I peek in and he's concentrating on a folder he has open on his desk, absentmindedly twirling a pen and chewing on his lip. I lightly knock on the doorframe and he looks up with a huge smile.

"Hey love." He says, getting up to hug me. "What brings you here?" He asks before kissing my forehead.

"I was lonely at home, and I just really wanted to see you. Besides, I haven't been up here in awhile." I reply, giving him a chaste kiss. He guides me to his couch, where we sit down side by side, turned slightly to face each other. "I don't want to interrupt, you looked busy."

"Just another incident report to go over from the Amity issue. I appreciate the interruption." He replies, grabbing my hand and linking it with his. "I miss you when I'm here anyway."

"I think I'm ready to come back." I say, watching his face for any reaction. He quirks his eyebrow up at me.

"You think, or you know?" He asks.

"I know. I'm ready." I reply with a nod and he smiles.

"That would be good. I miss having you across the hall. I know Rayne will be happy too, we drive her pretty crazy with the testosterone levels up here." He grins.

"I bet so, you all are pretty unbearable at times." I smile.

Eric let's go of my hand and moves his hands to my thighs, rubbing his hands up and down while he continues to talk to me. It's an innocent gesture, but suddenly I'm unable to concentrate on the work conversation we're having. It's been over three months since we've been intimate, we've not even been close to it between the physical and emotional healing we've been working towards. Neither of us has mentioned it, perhaps waiting for the other to bring it up, but right now all I can think about is the way his calloused hands feel on the bare skin of my thighs.

"Tris, where'd you go? You spaced out on me." He grins.

"Do you think you can get out of here for a little while?" I ask. He leans his head to the side and quirks his pierced eyebrow at me.

"Are you ok? Is something wrong?" He asks, hands still on my thighs.

"Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking of going home." I reply.

"You still have lunch planned with the girls right?" He asks. I look at my watch.

"Mmhmm, I have over an hour and a half before Marlene will be by to pick me up." I reply. He still has the adorable confused expression on his face. I lean in and brush my lips against his. "Eric, I miss you." I whisper against his lips.

"I miss you too baby. I'm right here though." He replies, kissing me softly. Oh, how I love my adorably clueless husband. I sigh and straddle his lap before kissing him, taking advantage of his surprised gasp to slip my tongue to his. Based on the reaction I'm feeling of his nestled between my thighs I'm thinking I've finally gotten my point across.

"God, I'm fucking dense. Are you sure?" He asks in between kisses.

"Yes." I reply. He backs away slightly, his brows furrowed. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"We haven't talked about birth control." He quietly says.

"Oh. I forgot to tell you about that. Since you and I weren't in a good place, I made a decision on my own at my six week checkup. I got the implant," I lift my arm and show him the visible thin raised line, "since you and I hadn't talked, I wanted to get something that was safe but also could be reversed if and when we were ready to try again." I reply.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for that decision." He replies sadly.

"Hey, look at me." I cup his chin and tilt his head up. "We only look forward, remember?" I ask, referring to the advice Johanna gave us during our last appointment.

"Yes, ok, you're right." He replies. "Now that I've sufficiently killed the mood with my questions, did you still want to go home?" He asks with a shy smile.

"Well, we could just stay here." I reply, giving him a slow kiss. "I should go lock the door." I say and he nods in approval. I get up to lock the door just as someone knocks on it.

"Fuck." Eric groans from behind me, grabbing a pillow and throwing it on his lap to cover the obvious bulge in his pants. I open the door and find Will there.

"Hey Tris, great to see you up here." He smiles. "Sorry to interrupt, but Max wanted me to let you know he needs us in his office at 11:30." He says to Eric.

"Did he say what for?" Eric asks.

"More Amity bullshit. Candor wants everything spelled out so a kindergartener could understand it." Will replies with an eye roll.

"I'll be there, thanks man." Eric replies as Will walks out. I'm about to walk back to Eric when he strides over to me like a lion stalking his prey. He presses the door closed and locks it, then pushes me against it.

"We have ten minutes. I swear on everything that's important that next time will be better but I need you." He says as he's lowering my shorts and panties. I'm already soaking wet for him, his aggressiveness is making me crazy.

I unbuckle his pants while he pushes two fingers inside of me. "Fuck baby." I moan quietly, pushing his pants down as far as I can. He removes his hand from me, pushes his pants and boxers the rest of the way down and picks me up. I immediately wrap my legs around him as he holds me against the door. He rubs his hard length along my wet folds before entering me roughly with one thrust.

"God, you are so fucking tight." He whispers, not moving at all, his forehead laying on my shoulder. "Baby, I'm not going to last long at all."

"It's ok, you'll make up for it later." I reply, licking his ear. He lifts his head and kisses me aggressively as he starts to thrust into me. I'm on sensory overload, with our aggressive kisses and the friction of his pubic bone grinding against my swollen clit. "Fuck Eric, I'm cumming." I whisper and I feel him smile against my lips. He plunges his tongue in my mouth, fighting and winning dominance as I moan into his mouth when my release washes over me. Within seconds he's moaning my name softly and I feel his warm release inside of me. We don't move, he continues to pin me against the door with his weight while we devour each other. The passion of so many months without intimacy burning through our veins.

Suddenly, he leans his face away from mine. "You're crying." He gently lowers me to my feet and wraps his arms around me. "I'm sorry, was it too rough? I shouldn't have..."

"Eric, stop." I interrupt. "It was great."

"Baby why are you crying?" He asks.

"It just hit me, for the first time in months we feel like us again. It wasn't just having sex, our intimacy has always been a huge part of our relationship and I just didn't realize how much I missed that." I reply as he wipes my tears away with his hands.

"I am so in love with you." He replies.

"As I am with you." I reply as I tilt my head up for a kiss. "We need to get dressed, you have a meeting that you are officially going to be late to."

"I don't care. You're more important." He replies as we right our clothes and smooth out our hair. He leans in and kisses me hard, both of us caught up in the passion of the deepening kiss. He presses my body against the door and starts sucking my pulse point.

"Babe, no, your meeting. You're already late, and it's not a great idea to show up with a boner." I giggle as he grinds his erection against me.

"I'm already late, like you said, so what's a few more minutes?" He growls as he pulls my shorts and panties down again. He quickly unbuckles his pants and pushes them down along with his boxers before picking me up again. He enters me again and starts a frantic pace, I'm unable to quiet the moan that escapes my lips and he quickly latches his mouth to mine.

"I love you so much." He whispers against my mouth before plunging his tongue inside and twirling it with mine.

I can feel my release quickly building and I'm unable to warn him as I cum, clamping down hard on his cock, causing him to moan into my mouth. There's a loud knock on the door, causing both of us to quiet and quit moving.

"What?" Eric asks as I try to contain my giggles.

"Um, sorry, um Max wanted me to find out where you were. Everything ok man?" Will asks through the door.

"I just need a few more minutes with Tris." He says, his voice strained.

"Is everything ok?" Will asks, voice laced with concern.

"It will be. Thanks man. I'll be there really soon." He replies, giving me a glare for laughing at him. I move my hips slightly against him and he stifles a moan.

"Ok man, I'll let Max know." Will replies, I can hear his boots as he walks away from the door.

"So busted." I laugh and Eric devours my mouth as he starts pounding into me.

"Fuck baby." I whisper. I can hear the door shaking on its hinges. "They're gonna hear."

"Don't care. You feel too good." He whispers. "I'm gonna cum." He moans, I capture his mouth with mine as he releases into me, pausing to catch his breath. "I want more." He says as he kisses me.

"You have a meeting. After work we'll lock ourselves in our apartment, ok?"

"I don't know if I can wait that long." He trails kisses across my collarbone and up to my neck. I push him away with a smile.

"Behave. You've already made them wait for you to finish screwing me against your office door." I reply as I'm pulling my shorts and panties up.

"Twice." He grins, reluctantly pulling his boxers and pants up. "You are the best wife ever."

"You are a nut." I reply as I try to fix his hair. "Your hair is fucked."

"I don't care, it was totally worth it." He grins. "Text me and let me know how lunch goes, ok?" He asks while peppering kisses across my cheeks.

"I will. I love you." I reply before unlocking and opening the door. Eric gives me a light smack on my butt before grinning and walking the opposite direction from me, towards Max's office.

My text alert dings on my phone and I grab it out of my back pocket. It's from Marlene, letting me know she's early but at my door. I shoot her a quick text back and increase my pace to get back to my apartment. When I get to our hallway, I see Marlene leaning against my door, scrolling on her phone.

"Hey, sorry about that, I went to the office to visit Eric." I say as I unlock the door. We walk inside and head to the kitchen. Marlene takes a seat on a stool at our island while I rummage through out cabinets looking for wine glasses.

"It's ok, I'm early anyway. How'd it feel going back there? This was your first time up there in awhile, right?" She asks as I pour us each a glass of wine.

"Yeah, it felt good. Really good." I blush at the double meaning of my words and Marlene's eyes get bigger as her smile widens.

"You didn't." She says, knowing the answer already based on my tomato red face. "In the office! Kinky!" She giggles.

"In our defense, we were going to head back here but Will stopped by to tell Eric he was needed in Max's office at 11:30 for a meeting. So, we improvised." I reply, unable to hide my smile.

"Um, it looks like you made him late for that meeting." She giggles. "Was it ok? I swear I'm not being dirty and digging for details, I just know based on our conversation earlier this week that the lack of intimacy was really getting to you." She replies.

"It was great. It was us again. Not to gross you out, but stuff like the spotenaity of that is typical for us and I needed it. I think if we had of come back home it may have ruined the mood because we're not the type who needs to set a mood or scene when we're ready." I reply shyly and Marlene nods.

"I get it. When you two are ready you get down to business. Uri and I are the same way." She grins. "It's always helpful to have someone who can redirect cameras." She laughs and I join her.

"You two seem really good." I reply.

"We are. It's even better than before Tris. He's much more grounded and I can take him seriously again. He's been a different man since living with you." She stops talking suddenly.

"Hey, it's ok. Uri and I have had that conversation already Mar. He was there, it affected him too. He told me it woke him up and showed him he shouldn't take one second for granted. I'm happy for you two, really I am."

Marlene smiles and nods. "It's good to have him home again."

We talk a little longer and finish our wine before heading to Christina's. Once we get to the door, Marlene pauses before knocking. "Are you ready for this?" She asks and I nod. Marlene knocks twice then opens the door and we head inside.

Everyone exchanges hugs before settling down in the living room. "I hope you girls don't mind, but I asked Will to bring us some lunch. My ankles and feet are so swollen that I just couldn't deal with standing long enough to make anything myself." Christina says as she braces her legs on her ottoman. "I think the boys will be infiltrating our girls lunch as a result." She says with a grin.

"Totally understandable." Rayne replies. "And I for one don't mind the boys being here."

I glance over at Christina and she certainly looks like the nine month pregnant woman that she is. Her feet and ankles look painfully swollen, her belly huge and her breasts are also engorged. She looks uncomfortable and warm, fanning herself with a magazine as she follows the conversations in the room. I'd give anything to be exactly where she is right now. I look away and try to focus on what Shauna is saying.

Shauna is nearing seven months in her pregnancy and she looks great. She's glowing, rubbing her baby bump absentmindedly as she talks. She and Zeke are having a boy, I actually found this out from Marlene because Shauna was nervous to tell me. I catch something about a baby shower and I finally start listening.

"It definitely doesn't need to be a big event, just something small and simple. If you'd like to invite your families, please do. It was nice having them here for your shower." She says and them immediately looks horrified, glancing at me.

"Stop." I say, sharper than I meant to. All eyes turn to me. "Stop guarding what you say around me, please. Losing Gunnar is the single hardest thing I've gone through in my life, and losing Eric for almost two months practically broke me, you all know this. We can't pretend it didn't happen, but it doesn't make me any less excited and happy for you both. You're having babies, you're bringing life into this world, you're happily married, you should be celebrating that. I'm happy for you both, I can't wait to meet my niece and nephew. Eric too. Please don't think we can't talk about things."

Everyone seems shocked, and I'm met with silence. Finally, Rayne breaks it.

"She's right. I lived with her for almost two months, and she did a lot of healing in that time. She needs normal." Rayne says and I nod.

"It's ok to talk about it." I reply. Marlene grabs my hand from her spot on the love seat next to me.

"I'm sorry Tris. I didn't know how to be there for you without being a constant reminder of your loss." Christina says with tears in her eyes.

"Me too." Shauna nods.

"It was hard at first, I won't lie. But, therapy has helped me tremendously. I can't pretend that Gunnar never existed, and neither can any of you." I reply.

"We won't anymore. I'm so sorry that I've been distant." Shauna says and I nod in her direction.

"We've all had a hard time navigating through this. I'm healing though, and it's important that our friendships heal too. I love you all, and I don't want there to be any reason that anyone feels like they have to censor themselves around me. I'm sincerely happy for you both, ok?" I reply.

"Ok. I'm sorry Tris. I love you. I'd get up to hug you, but it may take a small army to get me off the couch." Chris giggles and I join her.

"Here, let me rub your feet. It really helped when Uri would do it." I say, moving to the ottoman and gently placing Chris' swollen feet in my lap.

"Uri rubbed your feet? No way." Shauna replies.

"Yes way. It was my kryptonite. Every time I was super bitchy to him, he'd rub my feet to calm me. I have to admit, sometimes I was bitchy on purpose just to get a foot rub out of him." I laugh and the girls join me.

"I'm so using that technique. He never rubs my feet." Marlene smiles. "I guarantee I'll get a footrub tonight though!"

We continue with easy conversation, talking about the babies and our respective relationships. Marlene fills everyone in on her and Uri's amazing progress while Shauna entertains us with stories about the other crazy Pedrad.

"Rayne, when are you and Four getting married?" Chris asks.

"Please don't be mad, but we already did." She replies.

"What?! When?!" Shauna asks.

"We made a trip to Amity a few months ago, and while we were there we asked Johanna to perform the ceremony. I wanted to tell you all, but the timing wasn't good." She replies.

"It was that trip you made the day of..." I reply "Oh my gosh, he spent your wedding night in a hospital with me." I can feel the tears building in my eyes.

"Don't you dare." Rayne replies, taking a seat next to me on the ottoman and putting her arm around me.

"Your wedding day was the day our son died. Oh my god, you had no honeymoon because I moved in after I left Eric. Why didn't either of you tell me?" I say, tears falling.

"You are our friend, and you needed us. Tris, it's ok. We had a week at home alone, and that was more than enough for a honeymoon for us. I'm not upset about anything, neither is Tobias. Why should you be?" She asks, kissing my temple.

"I'm sorry." I reply. There are so many more words on my tongue but I know I can't say them right now.

I still remember the night I showed up at their front door, with a bag full of my clothes and my eyes steadily leaking silent tears. Rayne didn't say a word, she simply took the bag off of my shoulder and grabbed my hand, leading me back to their spare room. She dropped my bag on the bed and led me out to their couch, sitting beside me and holding me as I cried. I slept for almost two full days, the most rest I'd been able to get since being discharged from the hospital.

Four, Rayne, Uriah and Marlene worked out an arrangement where one couple was always with me while the other worked. I was so numb, but the comfort I felt just from having someone in the apartment with me that would actually speak was amazing. I was operating on auto pilot, eating when someone put food in front of me, showering when reminded and sleeping pretty much any other time. One day the dam finally broke, and it was Uri and Marlene who happened to be there to catch me. I let everything out, my pain from losing Gunnar and the anger I had at my husband for being emotionally unavailable and turning into a drunk instead of us helping each other heal.

As much as Four tried to hide Eric's downfall from me, I knew it was bad. I'd already heard from all of the girls about how their significant others were taking turns picking him up from wherever he passed out in our apartment and making sure he got to bed. They'd undress him, set his alarm and make sure he had water and painkillers on his nightstand. For the first time in our marriage, I was truly angry at him. I became convinced that the man I married was gone, replaced by what I assumed was who he always was: the cruel, cold, alcoholic and moody leader. Then one day Christina had quietly given me her mother's business card, in case I needed her to file the divorce paperwork. I was so angry at Chris that day, even though I know she was trying to help me I was angry that everyone had come to the conclusion that my marriage wasn't worth saving. It was hypocritical of me, because I had come to that conclusion already, but hearing my friends say it out loud absolutely broke me.

I carried that business card around for a week without making the call. I'd heard that every attempt that was made by our friends to talk to Eric was met by violence and anger on his part, so I decided that it was enough. The morning that I finally gathered the courage to call Christina's mom I learned she was in court and I had to leave a message for her. While waiting for her to call back, I decided I wanted to get a tattoo in Gunnar's memory. I had Four and Rayne scout the tattoo parlor, because I really couldn't handle seeing Syl on top of everything else I was dealing with. When we found only Tori working we stopped in. Once I explained what I was looking for, she had paused and asked if I wanted to get the same tattoo she had designed for Eric. She was unable to hide the shock on her face when I explained I hadn't seen his tattoo because we had separated. She quickly recovered, and I asked her to show me the design and it was perfect. A tiny set of angel wings, connected to Gunnar's initials in a beautiful script. I asked where Eric had gotten the tattoo and she explained his was on his back, in between his shoulder blades. I decided to get mine in the same place, and it was that day that I realized that Eric was grieving in the only way he thought he could, even if it was slowly killing him in the process. I couldn't give up on him.

That night I had a long talk with Four and Rayne. I knew in the six weeks I had been living with them I had gotten progressively stronger. Between therapy, visiting regularly with my family and the warmth and comfort of my friends I was slowly picking up the pieces of my life. The only thing I was missing was Eric. A lot of people may have thought that our marriage was somewhat of a joke, or a rebound, or revenge...I'd heard them all. But those who truly knew the two of us knew that he and I were soul mates. I loved him fiercely, and that wouldn't ever change. I needed my husband back, and I decided I was going to make the first move and talk to him. Four wouldn't allow it, which angered me to no end that night until I finally listened to his explanation. Eric was drinking a lot, even during his work shift, and his temper was extremely volatile. He was afraid that I'd get hurt, either physically or emotionally, so a decision was made that Four would talk to him before I did. That conversation between Four and Eric was the catalyst that he desperately needed, and it changed Eric's life.

Now, I sit here three weeks later, spending quality time with just the girls in the first time in over three months, but the knot in my stomach is making me question my progress. I still feel like I'm bringing the rest of the group down. They've had to sacrifice so much just to take care of Eric and me.

"Tris, hey, come back to us. You're scaring us." I hear Marlene say as someone shakes my shoulders. I finally focus and find Marlene crouched in front of me, and Rayne sitting with her arm around my shoulders. I see the looks of concern on Chris and Shauna's faces.

"I'm such a basket case. I'm so sorry that I keep ruining things for you all." I choke out in between tears.

"Beatrice Grace Prior Coulter!" Marlene shouts, getting everyone's attention. "You are the strongest person we know. We love you dearly, but if you apologize one more time I'm going to hold you down and let these women tickle the hell out of you. Possibly until you pee your pants. No, fuck that, you will definitely pee your pants." She says, face completely serious. Shauna is the first to break into laughter and we all follow suit. We laugh until our sides hurt, tears running down our cheeks and until we're snorting to catch our breath, which makes us laugh even harder. It's in this moment that Will walks in, with Eric, Uri, Zeke and Four following behind all carrying boxes from the cafeteria.

"Holy shit, did Rayne pass out the peace serum?" Zeke asks as we all start laughing even harder.

"I'm going to pee!" Christina yells.

"Me too!" Shauna shouts and we all laugh harder.

"Oh my gosh I'm not kidding, I really need to pee!" Christina says as I try to help her up. She manages to pull me too hard and I crash onto the couch awkwardly stuck in between her and Shauna, making us all laugh harder.

"I have no idea what's happening here." Will says, while helping his wife to the bathroom. Zeke helps Shauna stand so she can go to the second bathroom. I finally stretch out on the couch while Marlene, Rayne and I try to calm our giggles.

"Are you ok?" Eric asks me, sitting beside me and dragging me into his lap. My giggles have turned into hiccups, and I'm still having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"I'm better than ok." I reply and he grins before planting a kiss on my nose.

We all help to set out the food for lunch, and once we're all spread out across the living room, eating and talking I realize this is better than any other therapy Eric and I have participated in. This is family.


	24. Greater Responsibilities

**AN: Sorry for the delay, work changes plus a bit of writers block has had me down. I've got so many stories that have started (not published) that seem to just flow easily for me, where this one has me stuck at times. I'm hoping to find my inspiration with this story again really soon. Thank you all for sticking with me. :)**

Chapter 24: Greater Responsibilities

Eric POV

Paying attention in meetings isn't usually a problem for me, however today it's damn near impossible for me to concentrate. Max has finally set a date for his retirement, which is still a little under six months away, but it still amuses me that he is so resistant to letting go. This meeting is another fine example of his unintentional micromanagement. I'm pretty positive that even when he officially retires he's going to be a permanent fixture in my office, bossing me around. This is the first time in months that Max has been able to get all six of us in a room together, and he's taking full advantage of it, droning on and on about his expectations for our faction.

Will is back at work after taking two weeks off to bond with his new daughter. The night that Chris went into labor was interesting to say the least. She woke up in the middle of the night convinced that she had wet her bed. She and Will cleaned the bed, changed the sheets, and she took a shower without realizing it was her water that had broken. She and Will went back to sleep only for Chris to wake an hour later in full on labor. She barely made it to the hospital in Erudite before Ava made her appearance, and by the time Will had called all of us Ava was already a couple of hours old. It's definitely a story that will be shared in their family for generations to come.

As happy as Tris and I both were for Will and Chris, unfortunately Ava's birth sent both of us into a bit of a tailspin. When we got to the hospital, we both were focused on being there for our friends, however once we'd made it to the maternity wing and Tris had left me in the waiting room so she could visit her best friend I lost it. Once again, it was Four who was there for me, and realizing the seriousness of the situation he got me out of the hospital and onto a train to Amity, where he sat with me through an emergency session with Johanna.

My delayed grieving caused more strain on our marriage. Since Tris had gone through the proper channels to handle her grief, she has been well on her way to as much of a sense of normalcy as one can get after losing their child. Me, on the other hand, I drank myself stupid for two months, effectively burying my grief, and being in that hospital again took me back to that night over four months ago when my closest friend told me that my son had died. This time, I refused to shut down and getting Johanna involved immediately has been instrumental in keeping Tris and I together.

I grab my wife's hand under the table and squeeze it, just needing to feel her warmth. She's been back at work for almost a month now, and having her back has been great. I never realized how much I took her for granted until she was really gone - both from work and from our marriage while we were separated. She's the real reason I'm unable to concentrate on work this afternoon, and it's unfortunately due to something I overheard her telling Marlene before this meeting. Marlene and Tris have always been good friends, but they truly bonded during the time that Tris and I had separated. It comes as no surprise that she confides in Marlene, but when I overheard Tris talking to her about removing her birth control implant this afternoon I was truly shocked. Tris and I have talked with Johanna about our wants to expand our family, but always in general terms, and we've yet to have that conversation with each other. I feel guilty for listening in on their conversation today, but once I heard what they were talking about I couldn't help myself.

I'm slightly aware of a shift in the conversation of this meeting, since Will is now passing his phone to Max to share some of the newest pictures of his adorable daughter.

"What's got you so tense?" Tris whispers to me.

"Just ready for the day to end." I answer honestly. I need to find a way to talk to Tris about what I overheard, and I don't plan on wasting time once we're done with work for the day.

"Ok everyone, you're dismissed and I hope you have a great weekend. Eric, please stay, I need to have a word with you." Max says.

I kiss Tris' hand before letting it go. "I'll be in my office." She whispers, kissing my cheek before leaving the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Son, how are you doing?" Max asks.

I quirk my eyebrow at him. "I'm good." I reply simply.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm a bit concerned about you. You've been distracted these past couple of weeks. Are you still seeing Johanna?" He asks.

"Yeah. Tris and I see her together every other week, and I've actually been seeing her one on one ever since Ava's birth."

Max nods his head. "I thought that might have triggered something in you. Do you feel like you've got a handle on things?" He asks cautiously. While Max has approached me several times in the past about my emotional issues, it's never gone over well, and I can understand why he's being careful with me.

"If you're worried that I'm going to do something stupid you don't need to." I reply. I can see him cringe a bit at my response, and I realize it must have came out a lot sharper than I meant for it to.

"I trust that Johanna is helping you. I wanted you to know I'm here too. You're like a son to me, so I hope you realize when I have these talks with you it's coming from that relationship and not as your boss." He replies.

"Max, I'm sorry. I've always thought of you as a father, and I've been an asshole when it comes to talking about my feelings. I appreciate you always looking out for me and my best interests." I reply, hoping that my sincerity is being conveyed.

"I try not to overstep when it comes to you, so forgive me if you feel I'm sticking my nose where it doesn't belong." He replies.

"There is something on my mind, and I could use some advice." I look at Max and he nods to continue. "I overheard a conversation today and I'm not sure how I'm processing it."

"You overheard or you eavesdropped?" Max asks.

"Well, it started as me overhearing, but I definitely eavesdropped. I was going to Tris' office, and she had her door closed, so when I put an ear up to check if she was on a call I heard her speaking with Marlene. Max, I'm not one to invade her privacy, but they were talking about something pretty heavy. Tris wants to remove her birth control implant."

Max's eyes widen a bit, but he quickly recovers. "Is it possible she just wants to switch to a different method?" He asks.

"Well, that's why I chose to keep listening. I thought maybe that was the case, but she told Marlene she wants us to try to have another baby." I reply.

"I take it you didn't know she was feeling that way?" Max asks.

"Not at all. Don't get me wrong, Tris and I both wanted kids, and we wanted more than one. But, we haven't discussed getting pregnant since losing Gunnar. We talk in general terms about wanting kids with Johanna, but to hear Tris talk so openly with Marlene was a shock to say the least."

"I can only imagine. Eric, do you want to try again? Are you ready?"

"Not if it means putting her life at risk again. She almost died Max. She had the most dangerous condition a pregnant woman can have and it not only took our son it almost took her too. I can't lose her." I reply, feeling the emotions building rapidly.

"Have you all discussed this with your doctor?" He asks.

"Yes. She has a higher risk of developing it again, however the risk to have ever developed it to start with are low. She also doesn't have some of the usual risk factors. If she were to get pregnant again, they'd definitely watch her closely. I hear the doctors, and they are confident that Tris could have a normal pregnancy, but I can't help but worry that it could happen again. We couldn't go through losing another child, and I can't lose Tris."

"Talk to her about your concerns. Talk to your doctors, and talk to Johanna. Eric, I certainly understand your thought process, and the pain you're going through. When Dana and I tried for so long to conceive, only to finally find out she couldn't it was devastating. We went through the process to try to adopt, and spent years on a waiting list. Finally, we were told our time had come, and we were matched with a lovely young woman in Amity named Skyler who had gotten pregnant at 15 and needed to place her child for adoption. We spent a lot of time getting to know her, and we attended doctors appointments with her and we made plans for our son. Skyler was seven months pregnant when she was viciously attacked by some factionless, and they killed her. By the time they got her to the hospital in Erudite, it was too late to save our son."

"Max, I had no idea. I'm sorry that you and Dana had to go through that." I look up and see the emotions evident on my leaders face.

"We not only lost our child, but we lost Skyler too. She was such a lovely girl, full of life and love. She was that little piece of home that I had missed from my childhood. She had planned on choosing Dauntless once she turned eighteen, and Dana and I planned on having her be a part of our little boys life." Max replies somberly. "His name was Jason. We have an urn for him too." He pauses, and I don't dare interrupt because I can see he is deep in thought. "Dana and I couldn't bare to go through the process again, and our grief almost cost us our marriage. We spent a lot of time rebuilding ourselves and our marriage, and we made it. When you transferred to Dauntless there was something about you that made me think that had Jason survived he'd have been just like you. Fearless, brave and determined. Stubborn as hell and ornery too." He smiles. "Eric, you healed Dana and me too. It was more than us just taking you under our wings and feeding you a decent meal once in awhile. You became our family, and now Tris has too."

"You've been more of a father to me than my own father ever has." I reply. "My parents may have given me the best type of love and life they were capable of, but their love came with conditions I was never able to meet. I was never their perfect Erudite child, and I had no desire to try to be something I'm not. All I wanted was them to be proud of me, but I continue to be their disappointment." I sigh. "I don't even try for them anymore."

"I'm proud of you Eric. I've never lacked confidence in you, but for you to not only be married to Tris over a year now, but to have also made it through the things the two of you have is quite an accomplishment. When the two of you decided to get married out of nowhere, I thought I'd end up spending months trying to keep you from killing each other once you'd lived together long enough to see how opposite you two were. I've never been happier to be wrong." Max replies with a thoughtful look. "Son, your parents are fools. You have become an outstanding young man, despite all of the things you've had to deal with at such a young age. Dana and I couldn't be more proud of the man you've become."

"Ok, you're scaring me old man, what's with all the mush?" I reply with a nervous chuckle.

"You know me too well." He laughs. "I'm ready to retire now Eric. When I told you months ago that I was planning a long exit from my position, it was really to give you time to be ready for the transition. When you married Tris on a whim, I was worried. I needed to be sure you were going to be the same leader you'd always been. Now, I see you as a powerful leader and even stronger man. You're ready, son."

For the first time in a long while I'm speechless. I'm observant, so I'd known for awhile that Max was grooming me to take his place long before he ever spoke to me about it, but I was certain that it was going to take him much longer than he originally anticipated to hand the reins over. I had no idea that he felt as strongly as he says he does about my capability.

"I'm ready Max. I won't let you down. We have a great leadership team, and with Tris by my side we will continue the leadership path that you carved out." I reply.

"I have every confidence in you. Widen that path, and carve your own too. You are the future." Max replies. "I'm coming back Monday, but it's not in head leadership. We'll make the announcement together to the faction during breakfast on Monday, and I'll stay on as needed to get you transitioned. Congratulations son, you've made it." Max stands and offers me he hand. I stand, take his hand but pull him into a hug.

"You still have Amity in you." I chuckle as we hug. "I won't let you down, I promise you that."

"I know you won't." He replies as we break our embrace. "Did you know I was your age when I was given the head leader position?" He asks.

"I hadn't thought of it, I knew you'd been in leadership for thirty years. I had no idea how long you'd been head leader." I reply.

"Twenty six of those years I've been the head leader." He replies with a nostalgic smile on his face. "I've seen a lot of people come and go. The hardest had to be Harrison. He was the expected choice when Percy finally made the decision to retire. Or even Veronica since she was next in line seniority wise. When Percy chose me as his successor, they were both shocked. Veronica later confided that she was pleased with the choice, since she was close to retirement herself, but Harrison wasn't pleased. It took us years to come to an understanding, and I can honestly say he's one of my closest friends now. I know you've got the seniority here, but there may come a time where you'll have to appoint someone older than yourself. Or, you may have to make a decision that puts you at odds with your wife or friends."

"I can't say I look forward to those decisions, but I'm not afraid to make the tough choices when it comes to whats best for our faction." I reply.

"When I found out that Jeanine was your aunt, I was worried at first. That's why I demanded to go to that first meeting with you. But, I knew right after that meeting that you weren't going to let her get to you. You're a lot like me Eric, you're tough, smart and impenetrable when you need to be. You're going to do great things for this faction."

"Thank you. It means a lot to hear that from you. If I can be half the leader you've been, I will certainly have accomplished something."

"You'll be twice the leader I am. Now, get out of here. You have a beautiful woman waiting for you. Enjoy your weekend."

"You too. Oh, and is it ok that I tell Tris?" I ask.

"Of course it is, just keep it within the leadership team please." He replies and I nod as I exit his office.

I head straight to my wife's office and find her texting away on her phone. "Hey baby." She says with a smile. "Chris sent me new pics of Ava, she's breathtaking." She hands me her phone and I scroll through the pictures of the adorable little green eyed baby.

"Will is going to have his hands full with that one. She's gorgeous." I shake my head. "Tris, if we ever have a daughter that looks like you, I'm locking her away until choosing day."

Tris laughs with me and playfully smacks my arm. I decide to be bold. "Babe, I need to confess something." I say cautiously. I see the immediate concern on Tris' face. "I overheard your conversation with Marlene today." She exhales loudly.

"You eavesdropped on us?" She scowls.

"Yes, and I'm sorry for that. It's not something I'd ever do, but when I overheard you taking about removing your implant I couldn't tear myself away." Tris opens her mouth to speak but I press my finger to her lips. "I want to try. I want a family with you. I just want us to talk to Dr. Morgan again and have him lay everything out, the good and bad. I'm a strategist baby, I need to know exactly what we're up against. I want to continue talking to Johanna too." I move my finger and keep eye contact, waiting for her to speak.

"I didn't think you'd want to try again." She says in almost a whisper.

"I can't lose you Tris, and I can't imagine losing another child. I'm terrified of that, but I want what you want. Ever since the talk we had by the chasm we knew we wanted a family together. We're solid, we've made it through more than some couples experience in their lifetime. I want everything with you." I reply. She immediately wraps her arms around me in a tight embrace.

"I love you so much. Thank you. I've been so afraid to bring it up to you." She replies with her head on my shoulder.

"Don't ever be afraid to talk to me. You are my life." I reply. "Baby, let's go home. We're getting dressed up and we're going out tonight. There's this beautiful restaurant in Candor that Max told me about I've been wanting to take you to."

"You're taking me on a date, Mr. Coulter?" She asks.

"I absolutely am, Mrs. Coulter. We're celebrating." I reply.

"What are we celebrating?" She asks, quirking her eyebrows up at me.

"Well, we celebrate most of our important dates the same way, in bed... having sex all day." I grin at her.

"I have no complaints with that." She replies.

"Neither do I, but I want to take my beautiful wife on a date, and we're celebrating the fact that you are now married to the head faction leader." I reply as I start kissing her neck.

"Does Max know you're making out with his wife?" She jokes.

"Baby, I'm serious, Max is ready. He's stepping down and making the announcement on Monday. He's going to stay on until the transition is done, but I'm officially the head leader. He's doing the paperwork as we speak." I reply as I kiss under her chin and around her jawline.

"Eric! Oh my gosh. I'm so proud of you." She replies as she pulls me in for a kiss. We deepen our kisses, and soon I feel Tris pushing my vest off of my shoulders. "I think we should start our celebration now." She turns towards her door and locks it. When she turns back to me, she starts taking her clothes off as she walks towards me. Fuck, my wife is hot. We both waste no time getting completely undressed. "I want to relive our wedding night." She whispers in my ear.

I immediately clear off her desk and lay her back. I sit down in her desk chair and spread her legs in front of me. "Do you know you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen? Do you have any idea how long I've wanted you?" I ask, while looking up at her from my spot between her thighs. "God, you're perfect." I circle her clit with my fingertips. "I never thought you'd be mine." I say before tracing my tongue through her wet folds.

"I love you so much." She whispers.

I take my time, savoring her sweet taste before pushing my fingers into her warmth. She squirms against me, trying to increase the friction and speed but I continue my slow pace. I start sucking gently on her swollen bundle before spreading some of her wetness to her back opening. I gently insert my pinky there while continuing to pump my fingers in and out of her. She whines at the unexpected intrusion.

"Is this ok baby?" I ask, while continuing to pump my fingers all at the same pace.

"Mmmhmm." She answers, moaning. I return my attention to her clit, nibbling gently while moving my hand. She puts one hand in my hair, tugging at my longer strands. I glance up and see her biting on her own hand. She's falling apart and I love it.

"You're so close." I whisper as I pull her between my teeth. I feel her walls immediately clamp down on my fingers, and I keep my same rhythm until she climaxes hard. I don't move at all until she squirms away from me due to sensitivity. I slowly remove my fingers from her and she groans at the loss.

"Fuck Eric, that was amazing." She whispers, pulling my face towards her for a kiss. I stand up and begin rubbing my length through her soaked folds before gliding in slowly, never breaking our kisses. I'm completely wound up and I know there's a good chance I won't be able to last long, so I immediately begin rubbing her entrance.

"Baby, do you want gentle?" I ask while slowly thrusting in and out, watching my cock disappear in her.

"No." She breathes and I waste no time increasing my pace. Watching where our bodies meet is pushing me over the edge, and I barely start to feel her walls tremble around me before my climax hits hard. We ride out our orgasms together, and I pull Tris into a sitting position so I can wrap my arms around her.

"God I love you." I whisper into her hair.

"I love you too." She replies, running her fingernails gently up and down my back. We sit there for a few stolen moments, just holding each other, before I gently pull out of her and pick her up, sitting down in her desk chair with her on my lap. We slowly kiss each other while enjoying our skin to skin contact.

"I can't believe you're the head leader. I'm so proud of you. You're only twenty two years old and look where you are." She says in awe.

"It's not just me, you've helped me get here. Marrying you was the best thing I've ever done. You make me a better man." I reply sincerely, squeezing her.

"You make me so happy." She sighs against my chest.

"Let's go home and get ready for our date." I reply and I can feel her smile against my skin. It's one of the best feelings in the world.

We quickly dress and head back to our apartment, where we shower together, and I try unsuccessfully to keep my hands to myself. Our quick shower turns into almost an hour of lovemaking and exploring each other before the water runs ice cold and we fall into a fit of laughter.

"We should know better than to shower together when we're trying to go somewhere in a timely fashion." I remark as I grab towels for both of us.

"How about we have our date night tomorrow? I'd love to just heat up our leftover lasagna and spend some quality time on our couch watching movies." Tris replies as she winds her wet hair into a towel.

"I like that idea, can I make one request?" I ask.

"Sure." She replies, as she begins to walk toward her dresser. I grab her hand to stop her.

"We stay naked." I reply with a seductive growl. Tris answers by grabbing my towel and dragging it off my hips. She runs her eyes up and down my naked body.

"Consider my arm twisted." She smiles.

We grab our oversized colorful fuzzy blanket, a gift from my brother from Amity and we walk into our living room. Tris puts our dinner in the oven and we wrap together under our blanket and put a movie on.

"I seriously can't remember the last time we did this." Tris says, as she nuzzles my neck. We're completely entwined around each other, while snuggled below the warm blanket.

"What do you think your life would have been like if you had of stayed in Abnegation?" I ask.

"Incomplete." She answers after thinking about it for several minutes. "I would have eventually been courted and married off to someone, then expected to procreate, and been under my husband's thumb. I'm not saying that's how life is for my mom or anything, but she's happy there with the lifestyle they live. I never would have been."

"I can't imagine you ever fitting in there. Knowing you the way I do now, I'd have never thought you came from Abnegation."

"What would have you done if you'd have stayed in Erudite?" She asks.

"God, been miserable." I chuckle. "I never was meant to stay."

"You would have went far with your intelligence. You'd probably have been a leader there." She replies.

"Not with Jeanine there. She'd have never allowed a divergent to take over." He replies.

We sit quietly for a few more minutes, neither of us paying attention to the movie.

"Eric, are you sure you're ready to try again?" She asks.

"Yes. I just don't want there to be unnecessary pressure on us. We got pregnant by pure accident before, and I'm afraid if we go into this with a certain expectation it could hurt us." I reply honestly.

"Well, I'm looking at it this way, when we remove the implant we're just no longer trying _not_ to get pregnant. Whatever happens, happens." She replies.

"I like that." I reply. I don't know why, but hearing her say that feels like a weight has been lifted. I feel like I can finally breathe. Things are getting back on track.


	25. The Path That Led Us Here

**A big time jump was needed, so here we are six months later. Enjoy :)**

Chapter 25: The Path That Led Us Here

Tris POV

Eric and I have come so far these past six months. Therapy with Johanna has given us both an outlet and an understanding neutral third party for us to work through our inner demons. Our marriage is so strong, and he is truly my best friend. Working together and living together can put a strain on the best of relationships, but not ours. Eric and I gravitate to each other in every situation, both professional and personal, and we have a solid separation of work and home. We spend the majority of our time together, but we still constantly crave each other. Johanna has told us several times that she's never seen anyone more in love than Eric and I are with each other, and we both agree with her.

The added stress of Eric's promotion to head leader worried me at first, but he's a born leader and an absolute natural. He has the respect of not only our entire faction, leadership team and the government officials we work with, but also a deep respect and admiration from Max. It was only a matter of weeks before Max felt comfortable enough to move into a part time schedule, and recently he's fully retired, even though he's a frequent visitor to our offices.

I look at myself in the mirror, silently wondering if my husband is going to like my impromptu makeover. I've been in Dauntless for years now, and married for almost two, and in that time I've barely made any changes to my appearance. I've been contemplating some changes for a few months now, and today I took the plunge, first getting a long overdue haircut. Eric loves my long hair, so I made sure I kept some length to it, but instead of it skimming my hips it's now a few inches below my shoulders, and it's definitely a change. My honey blonde hair now has platinum blonde, bright red, black and brown highlights, plus layers that finally free the natural waves I had no idea existed. The weight of my thick hair always kept it relatively straight, so seeing the bouncy waves was a huge surprise. Every time I turn my head I can see the different colors all through my hair, and I have to admit that I love it.

Although Eric and I have our wedding band tattoos and the matching tattoos we got in memory of our son, we've never planned any other tattoos together. Eric and I rarely get each other any material gifts, we typically celebrate occasions and successes in other ways, both physically and mentally intimate. One evening, of the blue, I saw one of my ravens tattooed on his chest above his heart. It was a complete surprise, and better than any gift he could have bought me. When he explained the meaning of his maze tattoos to me, I had an idea, and luckily Bud and Tori helped me with it. Eric's mazes are never ending, he had them done in stages - starting with his first week in Dauntless and added to them in stages of his life up through his move into full leadership. They were his way of showing the twists and turns along his path to happiness. They abruptly stopped when the Jeanine situation started, and he admitted that he had a hard time getting back to where he wanted to be. Bud designed Eric's mazes, and when I explained to both he and Tori that I wanted them continued and finished on my body they went all out. I now have the continuation of his maze along both sides of my rib cage, traveling below each breast and coming together and ending in the center of my chest, representing my heart. Getting these tattoos was painful, and it should have been a multiple session job, but in order to surprise Eric I had to have it all done in one day when I knew he'd be out of the compound. So, as soon as he left this morning Christina and I headed straight to the tattoo shop and Bud and Tori worked on each side simultaneously while Chris and little Ava kept me entertained and distracted as much as possible.

The last change was a small black diamond in my nose, along with small gauges in each ear. Christina thinks I'm insane going through so many painful changes in one day, but I needed them. I finally feel like myself.

"He's going to love it." Christina says from behind me. "Seriously, you look amazing, and the tattoo thing was brilliant."

"You don't think it's too much?" I ask, meeting her eyes in the reflection of my mirror.

"It's a lot to get done in one day, but it's everything you wanted. You look beautiful." She smiles.

"So do you!" I reply. Christina had no plans for anything more than a quick trim of her shoulder length hair, but she was inspired today as well. She got a matching nose piercing, a tattoo of Will's name, and she had her tattoo of little Ava's handprint touched up as well. She also had her hair dyed a bold dark purple, which stands out against her mocha complection. She looks beautiful.

"I hope Will likes it." She smiles at her reflection.

"How could he not?" I ask, grinning back at her.

"Do you want to get some dinner once they get back?" She asks and I quickly agree.

We watch as Ava coos from her spot on my floor, laying on a thick blanket and grabbing at the myriad of toys we laid out for her. She's such a good baby, quiet, playful and curious. She started sleeping through the night within her first month at home, and she's literally a perfect baby. Poor Shauna has had her hands full with little Zachariah. He's colicky, and he went through a tough time with Shauna's breast milk and needed to be switched to a special formula to help with the stomach issues that plagued him. This put Shauna into a postpardum depression that's been hard for her to shake, and she hasn't wanted much to do with any of us as a result. Zeke has been wonderful with their son, and a patient and loving husband to his wife, and with his gentle pushes Shauna agreed to start therapy. Her first appointment was this morning and we're all hopeful that this will help her find her happiness again.

The text alert beeps on my phone and I reach up to grab it.

 _E: On our way home, have you had dinner?_

 _T: Nope, waiting for you._

 _E: Meet you in the apartment in_ _an hour?_

 _T: Sounds perfect. Love you._

 _E: Love you more._

 _T: Impossible._

"What's got you all smiley?" Christina asks me with a quick grin of her own.

"My incredibly sexy husband is on his way home." I smirk.

"This means my incredibly sexy husband is also on his way home." She replies and we both laugh.

"Did you ever dream it'd be like this? Married, kids, domestic life?" I ask.

"Hell yes!" She grins. "I started making plans the first month we were here."

"Seriously? A month in?" I ask as Ava crawls into my lap where I'm sitting on the floor with my back against the couch.

"Yeah, only some differences though. I knew I'd marry Will one day, and that we'd have a family of our own. I did think I'd want a huge wedding, but it turns out I didn't. I had this fantasy of having a double wedding with you and Four, and how Will and Four would becomes besties like us." She laughs. "Imagine my surprise when you went and married the biggest asshole in Dauntless."

"I did it just to ruin your double wedding plans." I chuckle.

"I seriously thought you were going to marry Four. The only two Abnegation transfers in forever. It was like this whole storybook romance thing." She says. "Oh, this is an awkward conversation huh?"

"A little bit." I chuckle.

"So, from the time you met Eric, was it just a gradual thing, or did it just hit you one day?" She asks.

"Well, you were there when I met him, and first impression for me was that he was freaking hot. I mean, those tattoos, the piercings, those eyes. Then he opened his mouth and jackass flowed out." I laugh.

"God, yes. He was such a prick all through initiation." She sighs.

"You know, there were little things he did that in hindsight made me realize he had some sort of feelings for me. Even if it was just a tiny crush." I reply.

"Like what?" She asks.

"Well, he totally busted me the night I went to Erudite to visit Caleb. He could have kicked me out on the spot for being a faction traitor, but he didn't, even after Four's lame excuse." I reply.

"Holy shit, you never told me he caught you!" She exclaims.

"He was waiting for me right inside the entrance. Jeanine called him I guess."

"Wow, yeah had that been anyone else he would have escorted them out personally." She replies.

"Don't forget after the fight with Peter he wanted me out, and I defied him by showing up on the train."

"Who could forget that, you practically had him speechless." She smirks. "Did he ever tell you why he tried to kick you out?"

"To protect me from Jeanine. He thought she'd leave me alone if I became factionless. It's a lot easier to find someone within the factions. Once you become factionless the paper trail on you disappears." I reply.

"He would have just let you go?" She asks.

"He would have come with me." I reply quietly. "He and I had this conversation over a bottle of whiskey in his apartment one night after work. We were drunk, and it's the first time Eric even hinted about how he felt about me."

"When was this?" She asks with her eyes widened in shock.

"Maybe two or three months before we got married."

"What? Ok spill." She says, angling her body towards me.

"Four and I got into a huge fight one night, it was ugly, bad enough that I was ready to leave him. He left the apartment to cool off, which now I know was code for him fucking Abby, anyway I went to Eric's apartment. By then, he and I had become really close and I just needed to vent. We drank, a lot, and it loosened our tongues. I had asked him about why he tried to kick me out of Dauntless many times prior to that night and he'd always refused to answer. I asked him after we finished the bottle and he finally answered. He told me that he knew I was divergent and he wanted to protect me. When I asked him how he thought throwing me out on my own, basically to the unknown, would have protected me he flat out told me if at any point I had become factionless he would have come with me. I asked him why and he told me I meant too much to him to ever let me go."

"Tris, you mean to tell me you actually did know he had feelings for you?" She asks.

"I knew he was conflicted. When I tried to talk to him about that conversation the next day he got angry with me. Eric was hot and cold with me, any time he got too close he'd find a way to push me away. The only time he was open with his real feelings for me was when he'd been drinking, and the night we got married was no exception at first. The morning after was what completely changed us, he finally let his walls down and came clean about his feelings for me, and now here we are. I'm happily married to who you call the biggest asshole in Dauntless." I laugh.

"I always could tell you two wanted each other." She smiles. "She's totally asleep on your shoulder right now." She says in a lower voice, gesturing to her daughter.

I glance down and sure enough Ava is asleep, her little mouth slightly open and her chubby hands still fisting my shirt where she was trying to hug me.

"Want me to take her?" Chris whispers and I shake my head no. "You're really good with her, you know?" She smiles.

"Thanks. She's an amazing baby. I hope I have one just like her." I whisper back as I rub small circles on little Ava's back.

"Have you given any thought to trying again?" She asks gingerly, trying to gauge my reaction. "I'm sorry Tris, I shouldn't be so nosy."

"No, it's fine. Seriously. I had the implant removed about six months ago. We decided to stop trying to _not_ get pregnant and just see what happens." I smile.

"Oh, that's great!" She grins.

"Yes, it is. There's no pressure, we just decided to let it happen when it's meant to happen. I will admit, there's been disappointment each time I've gotten my period, but I know it's going to happen. Besides, practice makes perfect." I laugh.

"You two are like machines." She smiles and shakes her head. "I never thought the little Abnegation girl would be such a freak!"

"I'm not a freak! We just have a healthy sex life. Well, maybe also a little adventurous."

"Tris, you two fuck every day, multiple times a day, anywhere the mood strikes you. That is the definition of a freak Miss Thang!" Chris replies with a smirk.

"Like you and Will don't get it on as much as possible?" I smirk back at her and she laughs.

"Well maybe we do, but still not as much as you two."

"Like I said, practice makes perfect. Besides, now that I'm off birth control I actually get a period every freaking month and that sucks because we can't have sex." I groan.

"See, you're an addict." She throws a stuffed unicorn at me and I smile. My mind begins to wander a bit, thinking about my husband and the way his hands are usually all over me. Dammit, focus. I pick up my phone to see if he's texted again and he hasn't, but it's then that I notice the date.

"Fuck." I whisper. Chris looks at me with concern.

"What's wrong?" She asks.

"I just noticed today's date. I'm over a week late." I reply. Her smile grows like the Cheshire Cat.

"We need to go get a test!" She squeals, making Ava squirm in my arms.

"I actually have some here...I mean with trying to not try and all..." I smile. She immediately picks Ava up and lays her in her stroller, strapping her in and tucking her blanket around her. She wheels her towards my bathroom.

"Come on woman!" She whisper yells and I scramble up off the floor. She parks the stroller in the hallway and I grab a box from under the sink and read the test instructions. Chris grabs the box from me. "Pee on it and look for the results, it's not rocket science. Drop them pants!" She says and gestures me towards the toilet.

"I can't pee while you're watching!" I exclaim in a loud whisper. She turns around but doesn't leave the room. I shake my head and take the test, cleaning myself up as I lay it on the sink.

Chris is bouncing on her feet and staring at the stick.

"I can't sit here and watch it. We have three minutes, let's get out of the bathroom for it at least." I say and we walk back towards the living room, she wheels Ava around in her stroller while I pace. "Chris, say something, distract me!"

"How many times are you going to have sex tonight?" She asks and I groan.

"Seriously, you're still talking about my sex life?" I ask.

"Yes, because I have to drag details out of you. If you were a normal bestie, you'd be grossing me out with details every time we talked."

"You mean like you do to me?" I retort. "I'm still recovering from the last time we talked about you and Will. Do you know how hard it was to sit next to him in our staff meeting the next day?" I ask.

"Whatever! Don't be jealous that my husband is a freaking god with his tongue." She replies.

"I'm not jealous at all, because my husband has the most incredible and talented tongue ever." I reply and Chris stops walking. "Ugh! How do you always do that?"

"It's not easy, but I like a challenge. So Eric has a talented tongue?" She smirks and I huff at her.

"Yes, our sex life is fucking amazing, hence why we can barely keep our hands off of each other." I reply and watch as she breaks into a huge smile.

"What's the freakiest thing you've ever done?" She asks. I can feel the blush crawling up my neck and she grins. "I'll go first if you want." She quirks an eyebrow up at me. "This is your out, take it now and I won't answer it." She pauses and I hold her gaze. "Ok, the freakiest thing Will and I have done is anal."

My eyes just about pop out of my head and I can feel my mouth drop open. "Seriously?" I ask.

"Seriously." She smiles, unashamed.

"Did you like it?" I ask shyly.

"I actually did, enough that it's happened multiple times. You've never tried it?" She asks, cocking her head to the side. "Come on Tris, it's just us here...it'll never leave the room, I promise."

"Well, no. I mean, he does other stuff there..." I stutter, not sure how we even got on this topic.

"Fingers? Toys?" She presses.

"Chris! No toys." I reply.

"Oooo fingers! It's good right? So just imagine his..."

"Chris, nope! That's enough!" I shake my head, embarrassed.

"Nothing to be embarrassed about Tris. Lots of couples do it. Be willing to explore." She grins.

I sigh. "Doesn't it hurt? I mean Eric, he's...well...he's..."

"Big? Large? Hung like a horse? I could totally see that, I mean he's tall and broad and muscular." She grins.

"You're totally talking about my husband's package right now." I groan.

"Am I right though?" She smirks and I smile. "Ok, so without grossing you out, believe me when I say that Will is also _very_ blessed. Just have him be gentle, and use lube, and have fun. Seriously."

"I seriously can't believe we're talking about this." I reply. I can feel the heat of embarrassment on my cheeks.

"It kept you distracted though, didn't it?" She smiles as I huff, checks on her daughter and then starts walking towards the bathroom. "Hurry up or I'm peeking."

I scramble back to the bathroom and stop at the doorway. "Chris, I can't look at it." I say, feeling the sting of tears in my eyes.

"Oh honey. Do you want me to look?" She asks and I nod. She hugs me and then walks into the bathroom. I turn away and stare at the wall. Chris says nothing at all and the curiosity is killing me, so I turn around. Her normally animated face is stoic.

"Shit. Ok, well this isn't the first time I've had a negative test. It's just the first time I've been late on top of it. It's ok, the doctor said my periods may be a little off cycle because of being on birth control. Thank you for checking, and for being here, and for talking about anal sex to distract me..." I chuckle.

Chris interrupts my rambling and turns the test towards my face.

"Positive? Oh my god. I need to take another one." I say, frantically checking the cupboard for another test, which I find towards the back. I take out two tests. "Oh my god, I don't need to pee."

Chris giggles and turns the water on, filling the glass we keep next to the sink. "Bottoms up." She says as I down the small glass. We repeat this process several times, while continuing our sex talks and giggling like kids. Finally, after awhile I feel the urge. I quickly drop my pants and work on the tests while Chris laughs.

"Not so shy anymore, huh?" She smiles.

"Go check on your daughter!" I shoo her away so I can clean up and I leave the tests on the sink and walk out of the bathroom. I take a seat on the couch and watch as Chris changes Ava's diaper.

"This could be you." She says in a sing song voice as she cleans up her messy diaper. I wrinkle my nose.

"This isn't a good selling point." I reply as I grab the smelly diaper and quickly wrap it in a plastic bag so we can dispose of it on our way to dinner. She giggles as she gets the fresh diaper on her daughter and I join her laughing. Even Ava giggles at us as she kicks her legs and tries to roll away from her mother.

The front door opens and Eric, Will and Four bound in. We look at their faces and giggle louder.

"Oh my god, what is that smell?" Four asks loudly, while holding his nose. Will laughs as he comes to grab his daughter off the couch.

"That would be this sweet girl, she can clear a room." Will says as he peppers kisses on Ava's chubby cheeks. "Chris, you look amazing honey, I love your hair and this cute little nose ring." He kisses the tip of her nose and then her lips.

"Hello gorgeous. I love your hair. So damn sexy." Eric says as he growls in my ear and kisses my neck. "You got gauges." He remarks as he kisses my ear.

"We're still here Coulter." Four calls out as he plops on the couch.

"I don't care Eaton." Eric replies as he looks me over. "And the nose? Baby I'm not going to make it back to the cafeteria." He nuzzles my neck and begins to run his fingers through my hair.

"See what I mean?" Chris laughs. "Freaks."

I stick my tongue out at her as Eric chuckles. He gives me a quick kiss before heading down the hall. I watch as he closes the bathroom door.

"Fuck!" I say, looking at Chris. She crinkles her eyebrows and then realization hits her.

"Tris?" Eric calls peeking out of the bathroom.

"You two are not fucking in the bathroom. Nope." Four laughs. "Food, hungry, now."

"You guys can head down if you want, we'll meet you there." I say and Four starts cracking up.

"You're seriously kicking us out to have sex. Damn, I give you credit." He smirks.

"Let's give them some privacy." Chris says with a smile, as she and Will gather Ava's things. "We'll see you soon." She says, giving me a quick hug before everyone leaves.

I turn towards the hall way and see Eric standing there, holding the three tests in his hand.

"Tris? Is this...? I mean, you took these right?" He asks.

"What are the results? I haven't checked the last two yet." I reply. He smiles at me and closes the distance between us.

"We're having a baby." He says, showing me the three positive tests with shaking hands.

"Yes we are." I smile at him and he grabs me and twirls me around, squeezing me hard.

"Ouch!" I exclaim and he quickly puts me down.

"Did I hurt you? What's wrong?" He immediately lifts my shirt to look at my belly and he notices the bandages up each side. "Tris, what happened?"

"Well, today is just full of surprises." I say with a chuckle. "So, the hair and piercings were planned, the pregnancy tests, not so much." I smile, taking off my shirt. "But this is my gift to you."

"Baby, what happened?" His face is so concerned that it's almost adorable, if he wasn't so worried.

I take my bra off and I hear him take a deep breath in. "Take them off." I say to him, placing his hands on the bandages. "Go on."

He starts gently peeling the bandage away and as soon as he catches his first glimpse his breath hitches. He keeps peeling until the full tattoo is exposed.

I take his arms and put them against me so he can see the seamless continuation of his tattoo onto my body. He looks at me in awe as his eyes trace the pattern on each side and he finally sees where the ending is.

"Your heart." He whispers. "Tris, this is amazing. No one has ever done anything like this for me."

"You really like it?" I ask shyly.

"Baby, the word like will never cover how I feel about this. You have no idea what this means to me." He says, his voice breaks on the last few words and when I look up there are tears in his eyes. "I'm overwhelmed. We're having a baby. And this, you completed me. You get me, babe, you understand me. You've seen me through all my struggles and you know exactly where my path ends. It's with you. Your heart. You gave that to me, you trust me with it. You are the most amazing woman I've ever known, I just cannot believe you're mine."

He brings his lips to mine and captures them in a sweet, but passionate kiss.

"I could never love anyone or anything the way I love you right now Tris. You're carrying our baby." He kisses my stomach, right below my belly button. "You just have no idea how much you mean to me. These tattoos, God Tris, I just can't even." He rests his forehead against my stomach in an attempt to gather his thoughts.

"I wanted you to know how much you mean to me. You've completed me as well. This life that we have is more than I ever dreamed of when I made the choice to come to Dauntless. I'm so proud of you Eric, you've accomplished everything you've set out to do." I reply. "I'm so happy with you. I'm proud to be your wife, and I love the life we have made together."

He slowly stands up and looks at me. "You are so beautiful." He kisses me gently as he skims his hands down to my breasts and grazes over my nipples. My stomach makes a loud gurgle and we both break out in laughter.

"I think someone's hungry. We can continue this later." He says as he nips my neck. He helps me put my bra and shirt back on before we leave our apartment hand in hand.

"I take it Chris knows?" He asks and I nod.

"Yes, but I wouldn't normally tell her before telling you. It was a shock, she and I were talking as usual and I noticed today's date and started freaking out because I was a week late. She dragged me into the bathroom and three tests later here we are."

"Think she can keep a secret?" He asks with a smile.

"Hell no." I laugh. "We might as well fess up."

"Good, because I'm going to have a hard time not shouting this from the fucking roof." He says and he pulls me in for a deep kiss right outside the cafeteria doors. We hear whistles and catcalls and he smiles against my lips. "Tomorrow, you're calling Dr. Morgan, correct?" He asks.

"Yes. First thing." I reply.

"I'm going to be here for every minute of this Tris." He looks down at me with the most sincere look on his face I've ever seen.

"I know you will." I kiss him chastely before dragging him into the cafeteria.

We find our friends and are pleasantly surprised to see our entire little group sitting together. I quickly walk over to Shauna and give her a hug, which she warmly reciprocates. I glance over at Zeke, who's holding little Zach in one arm while awkwardly trying to eat with the other.

"Can I?" I ask and he smiles as he hands his son over.

"Nice of you to finally join us." Uriah says with a toothy grin. "Four told us you had some bathroom activities that prevented you from being down here on time." We watch as Marlene playfully smacks him.

"So, how'd that go?" Chris asks with a knowing smile.

"Extremely positive." I answer and I can tell she's holding everything in trying not to explode with joy.

"You make the rest of us look bad Coulter." Four shakes his head and Rayne laughs from beside him.

"Well, you're really going to be looking bad when you find out that our bathroom activities were fully clothed." Eric smirks. Four raises an eyebrow. "I happened to find three pregnancy tests on the bathroom counter, my beautiful wife is carrying our child."

Chris squeals and we receive congratulations from all of our friends.

"I haven't been to a doctor yet, I just happened to realize I was late while talking with Chris earlier, so I took several tests and voila. We wanted you all to know though, we are too excited to hold it in." I reply, as I easily eat with one hand while holding baby Zach in my other arm.

We continue our easy conversation, then as we're ready to leave Marlene pulls me aside.

"I'm heading to work now, do you want an ultrasound?" She asks with a smile. I look back at Eric and he's nodding enthusiastically.

We follow Marlene to the infirmary, where she hands me a gown and closes the door to give us some privacy. I quickly get changed and hop on the table, Eric lingering right beside me.

"You ready?" Marlene asks and we gesture her in. She rolls the ultrasound machine next to the table and opens my gown.

"Oh wow Tris, those tattoos are amazing!" She exclaims. "They look like Eric's."

Eric puts his arms next to where my tattoos start and Marlene quickly gets the visual. "That's just beautiful." She says in a soft voice.

"The mazes were my journey in Dauntless, but the last time I'd had anything done with them was the day I made full leadership. The shit with Jeanine kind of threw me for a loop, and I never came back to finish them. Tris did it perfectly." Eric says.

"You two were seriously made for each other. Really." Marlene smiles sweetly. She squeezes some jelly on my stomach and places the wand on my stomach and starts looking around. "There's your baby." She says, pointing at the tiny bean shape on the screen while she presses some buttons to print out a picture.

"That's our baby." Eric whispers from his spot next to me, he caresses my face and kisses my temple.

"Doctor Morgan will be better, but my best guess is you're about four weeks pregnant right now." She says as she wipes my stomach off. "I'm going to go check his schedule now, any preference for an appointment?"

"As soon as possible." Eric replies for me. "Marlene, can you check her blood pressure too?" He asks and Marlene quickly nods as she attaches a cuff to me and presses some buttons on a machine.

"101/63. It's great." Marlene smiles and I hear a sigh of relief from Eric.

She leaves the room and I start to get dressed. Eric jumps up and quickly helps me. I chuckle a bit when he clips my bra.

"You're usually taking it off." I say and he presses a quick kiss in between my shoulder blades before I pull my shirt on.

"I will be later." He says in his low seductive voice that makes my panties practically jump off my body. I softly kiss his lips, but he sucks my bottom lip into his mouth and it makes me pull him against me. We spring apart as the door opens.

"Tomorrow morning at 10:00." Marlene says. "Now get out of here and celebrate." She casts us a knowing look as we head out. I stop to give her a hug and to thank her.

As soon as we get home Eric starts peeling my clothes off as he moves me towards the bed. Once we've undressed each other, he hovers over me, kissing me fully as he gently pushes into me. He leans back and I see him looking down at our tattoos, the look on his face is indescribable as I watch his eyes trace the paths from his arms to my body. I sit up on my elbows and look as well, completely in awe of how our tattoos and bodies are now connected seamlessly. We make love long into the night, and fall asleep curled around each other's bodies.


	26. Seeing Double

Chapter 26: Seeing Double

Eric POV

I. Need. To. Focus. I keep repeating this in my mind but it's no help.

I'm so tired that I can barely keep my eyes open, much less focus on whatever the hell it is that Jack Kang is droning on and on about. These weekly leadership meetings are a bit much, and as much as I try to avoid crossing paths with Jack this time was unavoidable due to it being held in Candor, and also due to a nasty flu bug that is spreading like wildfire around Dauntless. Both Four and Rayne are out sick with the flu, and Will needed the morning off to take Ava to the doctor because she started having symptoms last night, and he mentioned he's also not feeling well himself. I managed to talk Tris into staying behind to keep an eye on Dauntless and here I sit being bored to tears by yet another one Jack's infamous arguments with himself.

Once the meeting is finally adjourned, Johanna stops me briefly in the hallway. "I've heard about the bug going around Dauntless, are you feeling ok? You look particularly tired today." She asks me.

I chuckle before I'm able to stop myself. I'm certainly tired, but I feel amazing. Tris' pregnancy has been great, she had almost no morning sickness during her first trimester, and now at four and a half months along her hormones are at a peak and we spend more time having sex than sleeping. There's no way in hell I'm complaining.

Johanna gives me a knowing smile and gently shakes her head. "I should have known."

"I have a good life." I respond with a smile. We begin walking towards the exit together.

"Tris tells me the pregnancy is going extremely well. She said she barely has had any nausea, and that her check ups have been great as well." Johanna says.

"It has been smooth sailing. Almost too smooth if I'm being honest. I get a little nervous sometimes, but every appointment has been really good. Dr. Morgan has been taking every precaution to ensure that both Tris and the baby are healthy, and we keep her stress to a minimum." I reply as I open the door for Johanna. "This pregnancy has been completely different. She even started showing earlier, but Dr. Morgan isn't concerned. We have another appointment tomorrow as a matter of fact."

"Good, good." Johanna smiles as she reaches her truck. "Can I offer you a lift?" She asks.

"No need, it's out of your way, and really no one needs to be too close to Dauntless right now. We need a quarantine for this stupid bug."

We exchange our goodbyes as I head over to wait for the train. I check my cell phone and notice I have missed a call from Tris. I try calling her back, and Marlene answers her phone.

"Mar, why do you have Tris' phone?" I ask.

"Eric, there's nothing wrong, Tris is ok, everything is fine. There was a fight in the pit that got way out of hand and Tris was shoved hard to the ground. She's perfectly fine." Marlene answers.

"She fell? What about the baby?" I ask, automatically feeling the panic.

"Perfectly fine as well. Tris is sleeping at the moment, and Zeke and Uri are holding down the fort in the leadership wing. Will's the latest victim of the flu bug, so we didn't have much of a choice. I made them promise to behave." She answers with a chuckle. "She really just came in to be safe since she fell hard, but we've kept her here just for monitoring."

"Does Dr. Morgan know?" I ask.

"Yes, he's actually here now, and he's waiting for you to come back to speak with you. How long until you're here?"

"Train's approaching now, so I'll see you soon. Thanks for letting me know Marlene." We exchange goodbyes and I jump on the train.

Stupid fucking weekly leadership meetings. This shit needs to change. I'm going to propose video conferencing weekly, and an in person meeting once a month. Taking leaders away from their compounds every Tuesday is too much. Besides, my wife is pregnant and dammit I feel like being selfish. I grab my phone and start jotting down my thoughts on my notepad app, which helps distract me from the thought of my pregnant wife being shoved to the ground during a fight.

As soon as the train is close I jump, and I quickly jump into the initiates entrance and run to the infirmary.

"I'm looking for my wife." I say to the pink haired girl manning the front desk.

"I'm on a break." The girl snaps and she continues to text away on her phone and doesn't make eye contact. I lean over the desk and snatch the phone from her hand. She quickly looks up, ready for a fight and then realization settles across her face.

"Mr. Coulter, I'm so sorry. Right this way sir." Pink hair replies as she quickly jumps up from her desk and ushers me to a room. "I'll let Marlene know you're here. I'm sorry again sir."

I glare at the girl and toss her phone back to her before going into the room. Tris is still sleeping, and looks rather relaxed. They've got some sort of contraption around her belly, which I assume is being used to monitor the baby. I quietly sit in the chair next to her, but the small amount of noise causes her to stir. She looks over at me and smiles.

"Hey baby." I say as I kiss her gently. "Heard you were refereeing some fights today."

"Yup, the testosterone level in the pit was at an all time high. Thank goodness for Zeke and Uri, they were a huge help." She replies as she laces her fingers with mine.

"You realize those two idiots are currently running the faction at the moment?" I reply with a chuckle and Tris' eyebrows shoot up.

"Where's Will?" She asks.

"Latest victim of the Dauntless flu." I reply. "We seriously are going to have to put the janitorial staff on duty round the clock and get this shit under control."

The door opens and Marlene enters pushing an ultrasound machine. Tris' eyebrows furrow.

"Why do I need another ultrasound? Dr. Morgan did one when I first got here. Is something wrong?" She asks.

Dr. Morgan answers as he walks through the door. "Nothing's wrong, there's something I wanted to show both of you, and I wanted to wait until your husband was here. Hello Eric." He extends his hand and I shake it. I squeeze Tris' hand as we watch Marlene prepare Tris' belly for the ultrasound. "You see, we've often caught Tris' heartbeat when doing sonograms to check the baby's heartbeat. Today, I found out why we kept hearing that extra heartbeat. Look right here." He points to the screen and we easily spot two babies. "Congratulations, you're having twins." He smiles as he says this and Tris and I share a shocked look.

"Really? Where was the second baby this whole time?" Tris asks.

"Hiding behind baby number one." He explains. "Now we know why your uterus was measuring a bit larger, and why you began to show earlier this pregnancy."

"This is unbelievable." I whisper as I kiss my wife. She smiles against my lips.

"Is there any way to know if they're identical or fraternal?" Tris asks.

"Marlene, how about you explain? You're an excellent technician." Dr. Morgan says as Marlene blushes at the compliment.

"In this case, yes. If you look here, both babies have separate placentas and separate sacs, this is a sign they may be fraternal." Marlene explains and Dr. Morgan nods in agreement.

"This is amazing. Two babies." Tris smiles.

"Tris, I do have to tell you there are higher risks for complications when carrying multiples. You're doing great though, and we will continue our weekly check ups for your blood pressure and you and Eric can continue monitoring your blood pressure at home." Dr. Morgan replies and Tris immediately starts to cry.

"Babe, what's wrong?" I ask, gently caressing her cheek and wiping the tears away.

"I'm scared. I don't want to lose them."

Marlene grabs Tris' other hand and squeezes.

"Tris you've done really well this pregnancy, you're past your first trimester already and have been the picture of health. We know what to look for this time." Dr. Morgan replies. "Now, the incident today does concern me regarding the stress level of your responsibilities as a leader. I'm recommending that you keep your duties as non physical as possible. No train jumping, no full body physical training, and definitely no breaking up fistfights."

"I won't put her in a position where she has to do any of those things again." I reply resolutely.

"Are there any other physical limitations?" Tris asks with a blush, making Marlene laugh out loud. "Shut up Mar!" She glares at her friend and we all break out in laughter.

"You can have as much sex as you want Tris. Just be mindful of your belly, as your pregnancy progresses you may have to get creative." Dr. Morgan laughs and Tris reddens.

"Oh my gosh, even you Dr. Morgan?" She shakes her head.

"Even me, and at this point call me Nathan. I think we're past the formalities, yes?" He responds and we nod in agreement. "Now, do you want to know the sex of your babies?"

Tris looks up at me. "What do you think baby?" She asks.

"I want to know, do you?" I ask and she nods.

"Based on that answer, I can tell you without a doubt these are fraternal twins. Baby number one is your daughter, and baby number two is your son." Nathan says, pointing at each baby as he speaks. He hits the button to print the images he saved.

"Congrats you two. I'm so happy for you." Marlene says as she kisses Tris on the cheek. She gets up and hugs me before helping clean Tris up.

"You're free to leave Tris, and we can cancel tomorrow's appointment. Did either of you have any more questions?" Nathan asks and we both answer no. He shakes my hand and gives Tris a quick hug before leaving the room.

"I'll give you privacy so you can get dressed." Marlene says before heading out the door.

"Oh my gosh Eric, babies! Plural! Can you believe it?" Tris asks as she hops off the exam table and quickly hugs me. I pull her close and rub circles on her back.

"I can't believe it. Your one ovary is a egg making machine babe." I reply and I can feel her laughter.

"Well, your super sperm is pretty freaking impressive too." She laughs as she breaks our embrace. "Now, dress me!"

"Yes ma'am. Just note I am doing this under protest as I'd much prefer you to be naked." I reply as I graze her nipples with my thumbs as I cup each of her swollen breasts.

"We are _not_ having sex here. Behave." She warns as she turns for me to fasten her bra.

"Babe, your boobs are fucking amazing right now. You make it hard to behave. Actually, you just make it hard." I reply as I press into her back.

"If you behave I will make it worthwhile later." She says as she steps into her dress. "Zip me?" She asks as she looks seductively over her shoulder at me.

I slowly zip her dress as I lean in and kiss her neck. "You are so fucking hot Tris. I absolutely cannot wait to be buried inside of you later." I grin as I see her rub her thighs together. "I'm going to fuck you so hard." I whisper as I lick the shell of her ear, causing her to shiver.

"You can fuck me as hard as you want. As many times as you want. As many ways as you want. I'm yours baby." She turns around and kisses me hard. We hear a knock on the door and we spring apart as Marlene walks in.

"You two were about to have sex, weren't you?" She laughs as she hands the ultrasound pictures to Tris. "You two are not pulling a Four and having sexy time in my infirmary. Get out of here Coulter's!" She admonishes us while laughing and pushing us towards the doorway.

I grab Tris' hand as we leave the infirmary, smiling and laughing. "You're always getting us in trouble Eric." Tris says with a grin.

"Oh no, we will share responsibility for our sex life Mrs. Coulter. Just admit that you have the sexiest husband in the compound, and you can't keep your hands off of me." I reply.

"I will definitely admit that." She replies. "But you have to admit that you have no self control and cannot keep it in your pants."

"I'll have you know that both he and I know his rightful home is right between your sexy legs." I reply as I bite her neck softly. "I also know I have the sexiest wife in the whole city. And when you're pregnant, fuck. God you are beautiful baby." I say as I pull her to a stop so I can kiss her.

"I love you." She says while looking up through her thick eyelashes at me.

"I love you too. You literally own my heart. You, and these two right here. I can't wait to meet our babies." I reply as I rub her belly. I take her hand and we walk back to our offices, finding Zeke and Uri hanging out in Tris' office.

"Everything ok Coulter's?" Zeke asks.

"Everything's great. How have things been up here?" I ask.

"Not too bad. We put Barnes, Zipp and Eli on fence duty for their part in the fight. Already filled out the proper disciplinary paperwork just need one of you actual leaders to sign it." Uriah replies with a grin.

"How'd you know to do that?" Tris asks the brothers and Zeke shakes his head.

"That's all little brother here. He grabbed the faction laws and guidelines manual off of that shelf and looked up proper punishments for fighting. Then, he pulled each of the files for the people involved and he doled out the proper punishments. I pretty much just helped him write shit down. There were several others who now have some variation of a written warning in their files." Zeke replies.

"Those need to be signed too, but I wanted to bring the actual work transfers to your attention first since I know they'll need to be put into the computer system." Uriah adds with a shrug.

"I'll be damned." I reply. "Impressive. Good job Uriah."

"Thanks boss man." He grins then looks at Tris. "Seriously though, are you ok? The baby ok?"

"I'm fine, really. The only reason I was there so long is because I fell asleep, and the babies are fine too. Perfectly healthy." Tris is rubbing her belly and I watch as Uriah's eyes widen.

"Babies? As in more than one?" He asks and Zeke turns away from the file he was organizing.

Tris looks at me with a smile and reaches for my hand. "Yes, as in more than one. Eric and I are expecting twins, a daughter and a son." She beams. I can't wipe the stupid grin off of my face.

Before I can even react I have Zeke grabbing me for a full hug as I watch Uri do the same to Tris. They switch and soon we end up in one huge group hug.

"How do I always end up either stuck in the middle of a Pedrad hug, or pulling a Pedrad off of my wife?" I grumble.

"She's our sister." Zeke replies.

"I told you they come with the marriage, package deal babe." Tris grins and I kiss her cheek.

"Who else knows?" Uri asks.

"Marlene, and you guys. That's it. We literally just found out. We haven't even told our families yet." Tris replies as we break the ridiculous Pedrad hug.

"As much as we love you two, we need to get to the control room. We're short staffed there too because of the freaking Dauntless plague." Zeke says as he stands to leave. I shake both his and Uriah's hands.

"Great job guys, seriously well done. Thank you." I say and watch as they hug Tris before leaving. Tris takes her shoes off and sits down in her chair.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She asks.

"Babe, that's a loaded question. Work or play?" I chuckle and she smacks me on the thigh.

"Work." She replies. "I'm impressed with how Uri handled today."

"Yeah, we're definitely on the same page. He's done a lot that really has caught my eye. Today was just the icing on his favorite cake. I think we should see if he'd be interested in starting a leader in training position."

"Do we need to get full leadership approval?" She asks.

"Nope. This is something the head leader can elect to do at any time. I don't think Four, Rayne or Will will oppose. It's a bit unconventional to have four of the five leaders married to another leader anyway, but it's always worked for us. I think bringing in Uriah would even the playing field a bit, especially in emergency situations like these." I reply and she nods.

"Ok, it's settled then. Should we go to the control room and talk to him?" She asks.

"It can wait, we need to go over these disciplinary reports anyway. Plus, I'd really like to call your parents and our brothers and tell them the news."

"Me too! I'm going to try my parents right now." She replies as she hits the speakerphone and dials her parents number. Her mom answers on the first ring.

"Hey mom, you're on speaker with Eric and me." Tris says.

"Well hello my dears. Is everything ok? You don't typically call during work hours." Natalie replies.

"Everythings great. We just wanted to tell you that you're going to be a grandmother." Tris pauses, a wicked grin on her face.

Natalie chuckles. "I've known that for several months now dear, but thank you for the reminder. Did you find out the sex of the baby today?"

"We did." I reply glancing at Tris. She nods. "It's a girl."

"And a boy." Tris adds.

"Oh my word! Twins? Beatrice, Eric that is wonderful news!" Natalie exclaims. "My dear children I am so happy for you both."

"Thank you mom." Tris replies.

"We're pretty happy ourselves." I add.

"I need to call your father, he's going to be thrilled. Do you mind if I tell him or were you planning on it?" Natalie asks.

"You can do it, we don't mind." Tris replies.

"I love you both, and thank you for sharing this wonderful news with me." Natalie replies. We exchange our goodbyes.

We repeat the phone calls with Caleb and Cara and Ethan and Taryn. All were ecstatic to hear the news. Finally, I called Max and asked if he and Dana could drop by Tris' office. He sounded a bit suspicious, but he agreed.

"Hello Coulter's." Max says as he walks into the office. "I rarely get a personal invitation to come here, so it must be good." He smiles as he and Dana take a seat.

"Tris, you're glowing. Pregnancy looks great on you." Dana adds as she beams at Tris.

"Thank you. Well, as you know, you're going to be grandparents." Tris starts as she's rubbing her belly. "Eric and I have news for you. You're going to have a granddaughter." Max and Dana both break into huge smiles.

"And a grandson." I quickly add. I can see the smiles turn into shock before returning to smiles.

"Twins?" Dana says and Tris nods. Dana jumps up to hug Tris while Max comes to me.

"You don't do anything half assed, do you son?" He asks as he claps his hand on my shoulder before pulling me in for a hug.

"Not if I can help it." I reply with a chuckle. Max goes to Tris for a hug while Dana does the same for me. Once everyone has settled down again, Max's face turns serious.

"Does this put any extra stress on you Tris? Complications?" He asks timidly.

"Well, we're keeping a close eye on things. It means I'll be seeing Dr. Morgan quite frequently. I'm also on restricted duty from here out, which I know means my wonderful husband will keep me chained to a desk buried in paperwork." She says, smirking at me.

"Indeed I will. Tris won't be able to do any strenuous PT, no trains and no stress. I plan on keeping her as rested as possible." I reply. "Max, I do want your advice on something. With everything that happened today, Tris and I realized that having four of the five leaders married to another leader could cause some issues when there is a family emergency, sickness or other incidents. We were thinking of adding a sixth leader, but we didn't want to make it overkill."

"Well, your circumstances are certainly unique. With you two married and expecting, and Four and Rayne also married it can cause some internal issues, and even a conflict of interest at times. Most factions disallow marriages or relationships amongst their leaders, but I refused to follow that precedent because you cannot dictate to someone who they can or cannot fall in love with. You're all young, and I imagine that eventually Four and Rayne would want to start their own family too, and perhaps the two of you will one day expand yours. Having additional leaders is a good idea. Do you have someone in mind?"

"Uriah Pedrad." Tris answers and Max looks amused.

"Are you sure you don't mean Zeke?" He asks with a smile. Tris proceeds to tell him about the events of today, and how well Uriah handled them.

"Max, you don't give that boy nearly enough credit. He's quite intelligent, even if he is a little joker." Dana says.

"I must say, I am impressed with him. I think you've made a fine choice son." Max says thoughtfully.

"Thank you." I reply.

"I know it's months away, but Max and I were wondering something." Dana says. "When our grandchildren are born and the two of you return to work, would you consider allowing Max and I to take care of them for you? You don't have to answer now, it's just something we wanted to offer."

I glance over at Tris and she immediately smiles and gives a quick nod.

"We can definitely answer that now, and we'd love for you to watch them. It would make both of us feel much better about returning to work knowing our children are with family." I reply.

"I agree, I would love nothing more than to have them with you." Tris adds, seeing the smiles on both of their faces.

We continue on with our easy conversation with Max and Dana. As they excuse themselves to head home, they extend an invite for us to to join them for dinner later this week before bidding their goodbyes. Tris and I finish the paperwork that was needed for today, locked her office and decided to go home for dinner since we're both still desperately trying to avoid getting sick. As we walk home, we discuss dinner ideas and as soon as I have unlocked the apartment door Tris pulls me inside and pushes me against the wall, kissing me passionately as she begins taking my clothes off.

"If you don't get this dress off of me right now I'm going to lose my mind." She says as she turns her back towards me. "Don't even think about ripping it." She glares over her shoulder and I gently lower the zipper and she lets it slide off of her, leaving her in her lace bra and boy shorts.

She turns towards me and guides me towards the couch. "I need you naked." She growls and I immediately kick my boots off and get rid of my socks, pants and boxers. Aggressive Tris is fucking hot. She pushes me so I'm sitting down and she slowly removes her lacy undergarmets. She's so beautiful, with her tattoos that mirror mine, and her belly swollen with our children. She drops to her knees and runs her tongue across my extremely hard cock and I can't help the shiver that it causes. She blows cool air on me and looks at me through her eyelashes as she takes me fully into her warm mouth.

"You are so sexy." I moan as she continues to hold eye contact with me as she sucks, licks and teases me. I can feel myself getting close, and Tris notices it because she quickly stops and straddles me, lining herself up and slowly sinking onto me.

"I love you so much." She says breathily as she leans in and captures my lips with hers. As she slides her tongue to mine, I begin sucking on it and she moans into my mouth. When I begin thrusting my hips to hers she stops moving.

"God Tris, you feel so damn good. I love you too." I reply as I place my hands on her hips in an attempt to get her to move again.

"You don't get to move." She whispers as she presses her chest to mine. She slowly begins to ride me again, keeping her hands on my shoulders and her tongue in my mouth. When she throws her head back, I take advantage and begin running my hands across her breasts and leaning forward far enough to take a nipple into my mouth.

"Babe, I am so close." I groan, feeling her walls clamp onto me as her own orgasm pushes her over the edge. She quickens her pace and it takes everything I have to keep myself still. She feels amazing, and she's looking me straight in the eye as she rides me. I feel my orgasm rip through me, and I'm screaming her name without even realizing it. I pull her towards me and kiss her hard, fisting her hair in both of my hands.

"You are amazing." I whisper against her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." She replies, and leans her forehead against mine while she catches her breath.

We sit there for awhile holding each other before I hear her stomach growling. She sits up and grins at me. "Feed me."

"Yes ma'am. Spaghetti?" I ask and she nods. "Good, go get comfortable and I'll take care of it."

She slowly moves from my lap and heads to our bedroom, picking up our haphazardly discarded clothes along the way. I lay my head back against the couch for a few minutes, thinking about how lucky I am to be where I am right now. I have the woman of my dreams carrying our children, the job I always wanted and the best friends and adopted family I could ask for.

I don't realize I've fallen asleep until I feel the couch dip slightly next to me and I smell the delicious aroma of garlic. I look over at my wife and she's holding a bowl of pasta for me.

"Baby, you should have woken me up." I look down and realize I'm covered in our oversized fuzzy blanket.

"You looked so peaceful, I couldn't." She smiles and hands me my dinner.

"Thank you." I reply, giving her a soft kiss before she gets up to grab her own bowl. I notice she's wearing nothing but the tshirt I wore to work today and it makes me smile.

"Do you want wine with that?" She asks from our kitchen.

"No, I want whatever you're having." I reply and she brings out two glasses of ice water before grabbing her own dinner and snuggling under the blanket with me. "Thank you for this, it tastes great."

"Don't get used to it. You're still the cook of this family." She giggles.

"Speaking of family, do you have any names picked out?" I ask and she grins at me.

"I know you won't let us name our son after you, but I thought maybe we could give him your middle name?" She smiles. "How do you feel about that?"

"I would like that. Can we do the same for our daughter? Give her yours?" I ask and she nods.

"I was also thinking about how much Max and Dana mean to both of us and it got me thinking. Their last name would make a great first name for our son, and I managed to find out what Dana's maiden name was and its perfect for our daughter." Tris says watching my face for a reaction.

"You'd do that? Really?" I ask and she nods.

"So it would be Tucker Michael Coulter and Harper Grace Coulter." She says softly.

"Tris, you have no idea how much this means to me. And how much it will mean to Max and Dana. They've been such an important part of our lives here in Dauntless. Are you sure you want to do this?" I ask.

"Positive. They've been there for us through everything, and they are practically our surrogate parents." She replies.

"It's perfect babe. Tucker and Harper. I love it." I reply with a smile and Tris smiles back at me.


	27. Forward Progress

**AN: I really loved the reviews from the last chapter. It was awesome to hear how many of you also have twins :) Thank you all for the positive feedback.**

Chapter 27: Forward Progress

Tris POV

Today sucks. Really, truly, undoubtedly sucks. I'm seriously wondering if there is any way I can sneak out of the compound and go ride the damn train around the city until someone comes to find me. Eric and I spent the morning arguing over his need to hover constantly, and even though he apologized before heading into his late meeting, I'm still a bit irritated. I decided to sneak out a bit early and have some much needed girl time with Shauna and Marlene.

Overprotective doesn't even scratch the surface when it comes to Eric ever since he found out we were expecting twins. He was already hyper aware of my every movement as soon as he found my positive pregnancy tests, but these past few weeks since seeing the twins on the ultrasound he's been tempting me to push him into the chasm. Sure, he's been stressed, but after he finally pursuaded the other leaders to agree to weekly video conference meetings and in person meetings only once a month I expected him to back off a bit. Today's argument started because he doesn't want me to participate in this weeks video conference, he feels it may be too stressful. He doesn't understand that what's most stressful is him disallowing me to do practically anything.

"I still don't quite understand why you're complaining. Do you have any idea what I'd do to get Uri to do all of the cooking and cleaning?" Marlene asks with a smile.

"I can't even get Zeke to pick up his dirty socks." Shauna huffs as she picks up a pair from next to her couch.

"I know it sounds like I'm being an ungrateful bitch, but he literally doesn't let me do _anything_. I swear the only time I can do anything myself is when I use the bathroom, and even then he'll knock on the door to make sure I'm ok." I sigh.

"Your husband worships you. Enjoy it Tris. It could be worse." Marlene chides.

"You could be Rayne right now." Shauna says sadly.

I glance at my friends and their expressions mirror mine. Four has been crashing on Uriah and Marlene's couch for a couple of weeks now, and we've only been able to get very basic information from Rayne. From what she's said, Four decided to tell Rayne he didn't want kids, which was the exact opposite of what he'd said before they were married, and then to further prove his point he refused to touch her after she said she didn't want to continue her birth control shot.

"I'm still in shock over that whole situation." I say.

"Me too. They had it all planned out, they even discussed it with Dr. Morgan and me. They were timing it, thinking after she stopped the shot it would take a few months for them to potentially be able to get pregnant, and that by the time they needed to take time off to have the baby you and Eric would have been back at work for awhile. This was planned, and suddenly he freaked out." Marlene says.

"He talks to you about everything, has he said what his issue is?" Shauna asks me.

"No, he refuses to talk about it. I can only speculate that it may have something to do with his dad, and his childhood in general." I reply.

"How's Rayne been?" Shauna asks.

"Strong. She's been working like nothing is bothering her. She buries herself in training Uriah, that's for sure. The only thing that changed at work is that Will stepped in to help Four to train the transfers since Rayne didn't want to work with him. Which reminds me Shauna would you consider working with the transfers again? They could really use a female touch, and Eric refuses to even let me sit and watch training." I roll my eyes.

"I'd love to help! It'd be fun. Count me in." She smiles.

"Great! You did so well last year, I really think you should consider joining training as a permanent job."

"It's just seasonal though right?" She asks.

"Yeah, but we could put it in as a permanent job for you so it'll never cause issues with your full time work. I know your boss can be a bear..." I laugh.

"Yeah, working for Peter is interesting. Who's idea was it to give him his own patrol squad?" She asks.

"Will. Apparently Peter did extremely well during the Amity mission." I reply.

"He seems like less of a prick now though." Marlene adds and we all nod.

"He is. He started dating the woman who works with Tori, that really seemed to mellow him out." Shauna says.

"He's dating Syl?" I ask, almost choking on my water.

"Yeah, that's her name. Why?" Shauna asks.

"She's Eric's ex...well not girlfriend but his ex friend with benefits. She's the one he was involved with for so long off and on, the married one." I answer.

"The one who caused that big ass fight between the two of you last year?" Marlene asks.

"Yup, that's the one." I laugh. "Her and Peter? Wow. He must like them older."

"And sluttier. Sorry, she's got one hell of a rep around here. Apparently young, innocent Eric wasn't her only victim." Shauna laughs.

"God, well they're good for each other then. Both tend to ruin other people's lives. More power to them." I reply.

"I can't believe Eric dated her. She's so bitchy." Shauna says.

"You've met my husband, right? He can be pretty bitchy himself. They didn't date, they literally just had a physical thing. He was a horny teenager, and she made it easy. She was married, and when he found out he stopped it, and she'd lie and tell him they'd separated, so they'd start back up. It was a pretty confusing circle, and I think that experience turned him against dating." I reply.

"I can understand why. I don't get why people cheat. I mean, if you're unhappy just end things." Marlene says.

"In hindsight I can completely agree with that statement. Everything that happened with Four could have been avoided had either of us had the courage to end it." I reply.

"Do you think it's possible he's cheating on her?" Shauna asks.

"No, he wouldn't. He loves her." I reply.

"Says the girl he cheated on when he claimed to love her." Marlene says.

"He lives with you, have you noticed anything weird?" I ask.

"Our schedules are so opposite, I really couldn't say." Marlene replies. "Uriah says that Rayne acts like nothing at all is wrong. It may be a farce she puts on for professional reasons, but it's weird seeing her so unaffected while Four looks like pure shit."

My text alert goes off and I grab my phone. I smile when I see its my overprotective husband.

 _E: I just got home, and my gorgeous wife is nowhere to be found. Any idea where I could find her?_

 _T: I have it on good authority that your wife is sitting on the couch at Shauna's apartment in need of a foot rub._

 _E: Well, let my sexy wife know when she gets home she will get that foot rub. I may even let her ravish my body if she's lucky._

 _T: You're so selfless, are you sure you're not Abnegation?_

 _E: You're lucky I love you Stiff._

 _T: I'll show you how much of a Stiff I am._

"Are you sexting?" Marlene asks while grabbing my phone. "Oh my god you almost are!" She giggles and shows Shauna.

"You'd better hope he doesn't send anything X rated while your holding my phone!" I laugh and Shauna's eyes get wide.

"You guys send dirty pictures?" She wiggles her eyebrows.

"Well, you all do call us freaks all the time. Might as well earn that title the proper way." I grin and she tosses the phone back on the couch next to me.

"I'd better not hold your phone too long, I may see more of Eric than I ever wanted to." Shauna laughs and Marlene shakes her head.

"Sexting is fun. Uri and I try to see who can get the other hot and bothered in the most embarrassing places." Marlene says.

"Ok, you have to tell us some of these places." I reply.

"So, once I was getting one on one training with the really old and cranky radiologist in Erudite and Uri totally sent me a dick pic. I'm lucky that old lady is half blind because I opened the text right next to her." She laughs and we can't help but join her.

"Harrison totally saw a dick pic on my phone!" Shauna says while blushing furiously.

"How?" I ask.

"Scrolled the wrong way when looking at some of my wedding pics." She laughs.

"Oh wow, at least he didn't see any pics of your goodies. That was pretty horrifying." I reply.

"What? Spill!" She replies.

"I forgot to delete some of the racy pics that I'd sent to Eric from my phone, and well let's just say Four scrolled the wrong way. It was embarrassing." I giggle.

"Oh my god!" Marlene laughs. "At least he's seen it all before."

"Yeah, but the asshole didn't even say anything at first, he just ogled my pictures until I noticed him blushing. He's a pervert." I laugh. I hear my text alert again and I check my phone. Eric has sent me a picture, all it is his hand resting on a very prominent bulge in his boxer briefs.

"Based on that look, I'm so glad I threw the phone back." Shauna giggles.

"He's definitely tempting me, but I can hold out." I smirk. He sends a follow up.

 _E: I'm thinking of you. I may have to get started without you._

 _T: Oh really? You'd rather have your hand than my hot, wet mouth? You know, my tongue piercing hasn't had a proper workout since healing, imagine how it'd feel swirling around your head, dragging right around that sexy little ridge._

"It sounds like Zach has finally woken up, I'll be right back girls." Shauna says before disappearing into her hallway.

"Will it bother you if I grab some wine?" Marlene asks.

"Not at all, feel free." I reply as my text alert goes off.

 _E: You forget we got those tongue rings together baby, so I'd be happy to return the favor. Oh and I'm definitely starting without you._

My eyes widen when I open his next text, a short video of him stroking himself. His beautiful, large, thick and completely hard cock. So maybe he's winning this round.

 _T: My panties are soaked baby. Maybe if you're a good boy I'll bring them to you._

 _E: I can be a very good boy._

Damn sexy man. I'm rubbing my thighs together. I stop when Zeke bounds through the door.

"Hey Trissy. They leave you alone?" He asks.

"Shauna's in Zach's room and Marlene is raiding your fridge, and I'm actually going to have to get going too." I say as I stand up and grab my phone and keys.

"She's totally going home to have sex with her husband." Marlene calls from the kitchen.

"Shut up Marlene!" I yell back to her with a laugh.

"Eric totally wins!" Shauna says as she walks back into the living room with Zach on her hip.

"Bye everyone, love you!" I say as I rush out the door hearing their laughter behind me. I walk as quickly as I can back to my apartment and quickly unlock the door. When I open it, I'm greeted by the site of my incredibly sexy husband sitting on our couch slowly stroking himself.

"I was told I'd get panties." He says with a seductive smile, licking his lips. I kick off my shoes, and quickly pull my leggings and panties down in one swoop, tossing my panties over to my eager husband.

I make my way over to him, grab a pillow off the couch and drop it in front of him, sinking to my knees on it and immediately taking him into my mouth, teasing him with my tongue ring. Eric only lets me stay on my knees for a few minutes before he's lifting me towards him to straddle his lap.

"Baby, I need to be inside of you. That tongue ring is making me crazy and as much as I love your mouth I need this..." He thrusts up and guides my hips down, filling me.

"You win." I whisper as I start to ride him. He leans forward to kiss me, and our tongues fight for dominance as he starts to thrust up to quicken my pace.

"You feel so good." He whispers as he nibbles on my earlobe, playing with my gauges. He brings one hand down and begins rubbing my overstimulated bundle and I loudly moan at the unexpected touch.

"Someone's very horny. Wonder how that happened?" He sexily grins at me and I lean forward to suck on his lower lip as my orgasm rushes over me. "God baby, I'm cumming." He says as he thrusts into me harder and finally spills inside of me, grabbing my hips to keep me from moving. He lays his head back on the couch and tries to catch his breath as I slowly lift myself off of him.

"I think we both won." I say as I sit next to him on the couch. He chuckles next to me.

"I've been thinking about making love to you all day. I swear you were sending me subliminal messages across the hall today. You have no idea how sexy your little mannerisms can be. I watch you work all the time." He grins.

"What mannerisms?" I ask.

"Definitely when you bite your lip. And when your concentrating, you will sometimes suck half of your bottom lip into your mouth. Or when you wear your glasses, and you pull your hair up all messy and chew on your pen."

"You really pay close attention to me." I smirk.

"I've been studying you for years." He leans over and gives me a sweet kiss. "What do you want for dinner?"

"I really want a pickle, and some cake. Can we go downstairs for dinner?" I ask, giving him puppy dog eyes.

"Can I have my dessert first?" He grins as he begins to part my thighs.

"How could I say no to that?" I ask and he happily dives in between my legs.

Half an hour later, we're walking down to the cafeteria hand in hand. Eric leans close to my ear.

"I really love your tongue ring." He whispers.

"I really love yours too." I reply with a smirk.

We go inside the cafeteria and see Christina, Will, Ava and Four at a table. We walk over and join them.

"Hey you two. I didn't know you were eating down here tonight. Great timing, we just sat down." Christina grins as Eric and I sit down next to Four and across from Chris and Will.

"We didn't feel like cooking." I reply.

"She wanted cake and pickles." Eric replies before kissing my temple. "What else you want babe, I'll go get it."

"Burger please. Fries. Some ranch dressing for the fries. Oh can you put mustard and BBQ sauce on the burger? And pickles on the burger too. Please and thank you." I reply as Will laughs at me. Eric kisses the top of my head before going to grab food.

"I remember those days." He says kissing Chris on the cheek. Ava happily plays with her food from her high chair at the end of the table.

I push Four's leg with mine and he glances over at me. His eyes have dark circles and he looks like he hasn't slept in days.

"Are you ready to talk about it yet?" I ask.

"After dinner?" He asks. "Can I follow you two home?"

"Of course you can." I reply and he gives me a small smile before he returns to eating.

"How have you been feeling?" Chris asks me.

"Good, really good. I'm over halfway through my pregnancy, and I completely missed morning sickness this time. Blood pressure has been normal, with both the home checks that Eric and I do, and the clinic checks that Marlene and Dr. Morgan do. The babies definitely move around a lot." I reply.

"I'm jealous. You're carrying two babies and are still smaller than I was that far along with one." Chris replies with a grin.

"I definitely look pregnant. And believe me, small spaces aren't great when there are two little ones inside wiggling around." I smile.

"I can sometimes feel them kicking and moving when she's asleep. I have no idea how she sleeps through it." Eric replies as he sets our trays of food down.

"Yeah, anytime we sleep front to front they find it hilarious to try to kick their daddy." I smile up at my husband and he steals a quick kiss.

"How's training going with the transfers?" I ask and I get an eyeroll from Will and a head shake from Four.

"They are impossible. We have an even split, four Candors and four Erudites. Four loudmouths and four know it alls. It's driving me crazy." Four grumbles.

"They're not as bad as he makes it out to be." Will replies.

"You say this because you're a former nose and your married to a Candor loudmouth." Four replies and Chris throws a French fry at him.

"Asshole!" She says with a mock pout.

"Truth hurts, huh Candor?" Eric grins and also gets pelted with a French fry.

We notice Rayne walk into the cafeteria with a couple of people I don't recognize. Four immediately starts gathering his tray to leave. I ask Eric for his key and he raises his eyebrow at me as he hands it to me. I pass it to Four.

"Wait there. We'll be up when we finish." I whisper to him and he nods his head once before quickly leaving the cafeteria.

"What's that about?" Eric whispers in my ear.

"He asked if he could come by after dinner. I figured he could let himself in." I whisper back and he nods.

"Who is she with?" Chris asks me in a low voice. I shrug.

"Hey Tris, would you be able to observe the fights tomorrow? We have a checkup scheduled for Ava tomorrow and I'm taking a half day." Will asks.

Eric scowls at Will, but I know he can see how excited I am at the prospect of being involved with the initiates, even if it's just in observation. I glance over at him with my best puppy dog eyes.

"Please. I'll sit the whole time. I won't let anyone get near me." I beg.

"Promise me you'll be careful. No breaking up fights. No lifting. No stress." Eric replies.

"I promise." I grin and Christina actually claps.

"Yay! Trissy finally gets out of the office." Chris says with a grin, and Ava mimics her mother's clapping, causing all of us to laugh.

Eric and I finish and I decide to take my cake to go so we can talk to Four. We say our goodbyes and head upstairs.

When we get inside, we find Four sitting on the couch. He looks distraught. Eric and I sit down on the love seat and I decide to break the silence.

"Tobias, what's going on?" I ask.

"Ok, I know you all think I'm this heartless asshole because of the fight she and I had over her ending her birth control. It's not as simple as she made it out to be. I wasn't against having kids, and I was willing to try, but I wanted to wait a little longer." He says, pausing to gather his thoughts. "Anyway, that doesn't really matter. She decided to go ahead and stop her shot even though I was against it. It pissed me off."

"So it's a disagreement, while a big one, it's something the two of you can at least talk about." Eric says.

"We had a pretty big fight about it. She refused to have sex with me if I wore a condom, and I refused to do it without one. A stalemate." He sighs. "She tried everything, like every one of my weaknesses, repeatedly. I just wouldn't budge. She finally tells me she needs to talk, and I'm thinking finally we can get past this and work shit out. Nope, she tells me she's pregnant."

"Did she stop the shot before you knew about it?" I ask.

"Nope. She's six weeks pregnant and we haven't had sex in over two months. It's not mine." He replies. "The dude is from Amity. She's been sleeping with him for months now."

"Oh my god." I say.

"Fuck man. Fuck. I had no idea. Why didn't you talk to us before now?" Eric asks.

"I don't know. I tried talking to her a few days ago, I mean I wanted to see where her head was. Maybe see if we could possibly start counseling if nothing else. I didn't want to volunteer to raise someone else's kid especially when I wasn't ready to have my own. She doesn't want to save our marriage, she's already made up her mind she's going back to Amity, Johanna's already agreed to let her come back. It's done. She's already filed for divorce. I'm not going to fight it." He says, sitting back on the couch and running both hands through his hair.

"I'm so sorry." I say. There's nothing any of us can do to take away the pain he must feel.

"The irony that my marriage ends because of cheating huh?" Four scoffs.

"Don't do that. You didn't cause her to cheat. She made a permanent decision to what could have been a temporary problem. You two could have worked through the difference of opinion regarding kids. Look at Uri and Marlene, they did, and hell they're not even married. Four, this isn't your fault." Eric says and it seems like his words are making an impact.

"Thanks. Both of you. This shit hurts, I mean every day I see her it's just twisting the knife. I don't even know why she's still here. Johanna agreed to take her back a few days ago." He replies.

"That must be why Johanna's been trying to get a meeting with me. I kept putting her off, not on purpose, shit just kept popping up that needed dealt with. You realize now that I know she's planning on leaving the faction I have to talk to her. I don't want you to feel that I'm betraying your trust, but she's a leader who's already made arrangements to leave." Eric says.

"It's not a problem. Maybe it'll be the push she needs to just go. I want to try to get my life back. My apartment too. Sleeping on Uri's couch is rough." He replies.

"Stay here. Until you're ready to go back there. We have the space." Eric offers and I am instantly surprised. This is more proof that there is finally a solid friendship between the two former sworn enemies.

"You ok with that?" Tobias asks me.

"Of course I am." I reply, thinking of how kind he was when Eric and I went through our temporary separation.

"Great. Thank you both. I'll go get my stuff from Uri's." He replies with a faint smile as he slips out the door. As soon as the door shuts behind him, Eric looks at me.

"What the fuck? Did you know?" He asks.

"Not a clue. Rayne has been distant, but I really thought she was just needing space to deal with their issues. She actually placed blame on him the only time she talked to all of us about it." I reply shaking my head. "I'd have _never_ pegged her as a cheater, but to get pregnant outside of her marriage is really shocking to me."

Eric walks over to me, placing both of his hands on my belly before he looks up at me. "I want you to know, I'd never do anything to hurt you or our children." He says.

"I know you wouldn't." I reply quietly. "I'd never hurt you or our babies either."

"This whole mess is shocking, to both of us, especially since it's happening to Four. I just always want you to know that no matter what happens in this lifetime you and our family are the most precious and important things to me." He says, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead, then one on my belly before putting his arms around me and pulling me close to him.

All of the anger and frustration I've been feeling at him because of his overprotective nature is gone, in this moment I realize how lucky I am to have this incredible man as my husband. We've been through a lot in a short amount of time, but it's moments like these that I know the best decision of my life was made that one crazy tequila filled night. I married my absolute perfect match.

"I love you baby." He whispers against my cheek.

"I love you too."

We are interrupted by a knock on the door, and I let Tobias in. He's carrying two large duffel bags, and Eric quickly grabs one. He leads him to one of our guest rooms and I busy myself with straightening up the living room, embarrassingly realizing that the blanket that was below our 'adventures' earlier was discarded in a corner of the room. I smile as I carry it to the laundry room and start the washer.

While the boys are distracted, I wander into the room that was once designated as Gunnar's room. It's still empty, with stark white walls that covered the sage green color we had painted when setting up his nursery. I absentmindedly rub my hands across my bump, enjoying the little flutters and kicks from our children. Eric and I haven't set up anything for the twins as of yet, neither of us have been quite ready to go to the storage room that our friends thoughtfully stored everything we'd had in this room for Gunnar. I look at the plain walls and make a decision, this should be the room our twins start their lives in. This was our nursery, and being the smallest room in the apartment, and the closest to our room we had easily decided that any children we had would start off in this room, and eventually move into one of the two larger bedrooms.

"There you are." Eric says as he wraps his arms around me from behind. "You ok?"

"Yeah, actually I am. Where's Four?" I ask.

"Asleep. He was exhausted, and falling asleep as we were talking. Don't worry, I tucked him in." He chuckles and I smack his arms lightly. "What are you thinking about babe?"

"What do you think of a pale yellow? Not crazy bright Amity yellow, but like a happy light color?" I ask and he immediately understands what I'm asking.

"That would be good. We can go tomorrow and pick out the paint." He replies. "What about those wooden letters we saw the last time we were there? We could paint those and hang them on the walls. Maybe Harper over here and Tucker over here?" He points at the two side walls.

"I like that idea. We could put their dressers along the back wall. Maybe the rocker in that corner?"

"We need another rocker babe. One for each of us." He says and I smile wide at the thought. Eric and I sitting here, rocking our babies to sleep.

"I can picture it." I say quietly as I lean my head back against his shoulder.

"We can't be scared anymore babe. They're going to be here before we know it." He whispers.

"I know. I'm just afraid the minute we set this all up that something will jinx it. I mean last time..." I stop talking as I feel the tears come on.

"My baby." He gently turns me around so I'm facing him. "We're going to be fine. You can cry it out, get all of it out now because from here out its happiness. We're going to have Tucker and Harper right here. You're going to be sitting in that corner rocking your baby boy and I'll be over here with my little princess." He peppers kisses on my cheeks. "I'll even let you change every smelly diaper. That's how much I love you babe." I giggle at him. "We'll get puked on, peed on, we'll barely sleep, and I can't fucking wait for all of it."

"Same here. Let's start tomorrow." I reply.


	28. When You Love Somebody

**AN: I love all of the reviews! Feedback is always welcome. To answer some questions:**

 **This is definitely a no war story, and yes I'm ignoring the last two books. It's not that I don't love VR, I just wanted my own story and my own take on her characters. As you can probably tell from this story and my others, I really like Eric's character, and I felt like he was underdeveloped in the actual books. This is why you'll find different versions of him in each of my stories.**

 **Also, my stories are non canon and OOC, and usually at least somewhat AU as well. I don't want to rewrite Divergent, I just like borrowing her characters and doing my own thing.**

 **I hope you enjoy :)**

Chapter 28: When You Love Somebody

Eric POV

I look at the keypad again, then back up to the door, then back to the keypad. I take my index finger and move it toward the keypad and I freeze again. I step away, leaning on the wall of the narrow hallway, glaring at the door in front of me. If it's possible to hate an inanimate object, it's this fucking door right now. Who am I kidding? The door isn't the issue, it's what's behind it.

I glance down at my phone again and check the time. I've been here almost thirty minutes, waging a mental war with a door. I told Tris I could do this alone, it's just stuff, right? It's stuff we're going to be able to use for Tucker and Harper, the crib, the bedding will be perfect for Tucker, at least according to Tris. I can't even remember the bedding she picked out, it's somehow blocked from my mind, and as excited as I was for Gunnar to be here I realized early on in this pregnancy that I missed a lot during our previous pregnancy due to work.

This time around, it's been different. I go to every appointment, even the simple daily blood pressure checks that Marlene or Abby usually administer. No matter what's going on at work, we have a hard stopping point and a standing dinner time every night. We decided early on that we needed to establish the routine now, so that it's like second nature once our children are here. Every last thing that has been bought for the twins has been a joint decision, even down to their socks. I know exactly what outfits we have for Harper and Tucker and which outfits Tris and I decided they'd wear home from the hospital. At first, I drove Tris nuts with my constant hovering, and she's accused me of being a control freak on more than one occasion. When we finally sat down and talked rationally about it, she realized that I was simply afraid I was going to miss something.

"Are you trying to open it with your secret mind powers?" Uriah asks, startling me. When I look up I'm surprised to find not only Uriah, but Zeke, Will and Four too.

"Something like that. How'd you all know I was down here?" I ask.

"Saw you on the cameras. It looked like you could use some help." Zeke replies.

Zeke is the only person who's been inside this storage since our friends kindly packed everything away over a year ago. We'd offered the clothes we had to Zeke and Shauna to use for Zach, which they graciously accepted, and Zeke removed them from the storage unit himself.

"Yeah. Help would be good. I haven't been down here at all. Tris wanted everything brought up to the nursery so we could see what we could use for Tucker." I reply.

"Tucker? You guys picked out names?" Will asks.

"Oh shit. That was supposed to be a secret. I guess the cats outta the bag now, huh?" I reply.

"Well tell us the rest, and the story dude." Uriah says as Zeke begins to open the storage.

"We decided since Max and Dana are such a big part of our lives, and they've never had children or grandchildren of their own, that we'd honor them both by incorporating their names into the twins names. Our son is Tucker Michael, well obviously Tucker because it's Max and Dana's last name, and Michael is my middle name. Somehow, Tris found out what Dana's maiden name was, so our daughter is Harper Grace. Harper was Dana's maiden name, and Grace is Tris' middle name." I explain.

"That's great, Max and Dana are going to be thrilled when you tell them." Will says with a smile.

"Yeah we hope so too. Tris wanted to wait until they were born, but both of us keep slipping and calling them my their names." I reply.

Next thing I notice is that a large cart is being pushed out of the storage with everything inside of it. Four is closing the door behind himself and Zeke is grinning.

"Next stop, your place. We're at your disposal this evening. Time to put everything together. The girls are already with Tris." Zeke says. "Oh and Zach and Ava plan on helping too."

"You guys are seriously the fucking best. Thanks." I say, feeling a little emotional knowing our friends are so supportive and understanding.

We head to my apartment, as loud as always when the five of us are in the same place at the same time. When we walk through the door we find that not only are the girls there, but so are Caleb and Cara.

"Hey brother!" Caleb says, jumping up of the sofa to extend his hand. We shake and I give Cara a hug as well.

"Wow, hey, I had no idea we'd find you two here." I reply as Cara and Caleb exchange hugs and handshakes with the rest of the guys.

"Well, I was on the phone with Tris, and when she told me you two were planning on spending the evening putting furniture together and setting up the nursery Caleb and I offered to help." Cara replies.

"Max and Dana are coming by too. They're stopping on the way to pick up pizzas from the cafeteria." Tris replies with a huge smile. Having her brother and friends near by has lifted her spirits immensely, and her happiness is contagious as I can't stop grinning myself. I bend over and kiss her sweet lips.

"You're beautiful." I say quietly, and she gives me another kiss.

"So are you." She winks.

We pull the cart full of furniture and baby gear into the hallway, and work on unloading it while the girls catch up. Within an hour, we're all sprawled out across the room, putting various pieces of furniture together, stopping to take the occasional bite of pizza or sip of beer.

"I never knew just how many little nuts, bolts and screws went into a crib." Max huffs, scratching his head while looking at the instructions that came with the crib.

"Uriah and Four put the last one together, I'm just as lost as you are right now." I lament.

"Let me help." Will slides over and starts putting parts together with Max and me, and soon we have both cribs up and in place. I glance around and notice the dressers and changing tables are assembled and sitting against the back wall. Two glider rockers with ottomans are assembled and we placed one in each corner. Zeke and Uriah are working on hanging the pictures where Tris and I wanted them. Then I remember the letters. I stick my head out of the door and call out to my wife.

"Babe, can you get Dana to help you bring the last boxes in here?" I ask. Will shoots me a knowing look, and he gathers Zeke, Uri and Four and leaves the room. I glance at each blank wall above the cribs and find the nails exactly in place for what we're about to hang. We had the letters of each twin's name painted black, with yellow dots that match the wall color, and then held together with black wiring.

"Here we go." Dana says, handing me the boxes as Tris makes her way into the room. I pull her to my side and wrap an arm around her shoulders.

"Max, I'm gonna have you and Dana open these for us, if you don't mind." I say nonchalantly as I had him the two boxes. He looks at me with a quizzical expression that could be mistaken as pure Erudite if I didn't know his Amity background.

Tris and I say nothing, we watch their faces as they open the two boxes.

"What is this?" Dana asks in a choked voice as she examines the content of each box. Max looks up with moisture in his eyes.

"You two have been my parents since the day I jumped into the net. You both fed me, nurtured me and loved me in a way my own parents failed at. You've encouraged me throughout my time here. You've been there for us through everything, there hasn't been a time when we picked up a phone to call you that you weren't here. You've both shown up without us asking when you know we needed you. We've always said the words thank you, but it's never been enough. We wanted you both to know how much we love you, and we wanted you to see that our family is your family." I say, fighting back my own emotions.

"So, your grandchildren will carry your family names. Your grandson is Tucker Michael Coulter, and your granddaughter is Harper Grace Coulter." Tris says with tears in her eyes as she rubs her belly. I place my hand on hers.

"This is just beautiful." Max says, his voice full of emotion and his fingers tracing the letters of each name.

Dana reaches out first for Tris, hugging her tightly, both women with tears in their eyes. Then she embraces me.

"I love you both so much, thank you." Dana says through tears.

Max steps in front of Tris and embraces her, kissing both cheeks before letting her go. He comes to me and embraces me.

"You make me so proud son. Thank you for this. I can't wait to meet my grandchildren." He steps away slightly, then embraces me one more time. "I love you Eric. You are, and always will be my son. I'm so proud of what you and Tris have accomplished."

At the words my own father would never say to me, I finally break. Max and I hold on to each other for a few minutes while each of us tries to compose ourselves. When we finally look up, Tris and Dana are arm in arm, and it's evident they've both been crying too.

"Ok, enough of this. Let's hang these up." I say and Max and I hang the names on the wall.

"It's perfect." Tris whispers from my side, her head tucked into the crook of my neck.

"Indeed it is. Baby, I love you." I whisper and she kisses my neck and then buries her head there.

"So, are we allowed to see the finished product?" Cara asks quietly as she leans against the door frame.

"Absolutely!" Tris exclaims. "Hey, come check out our nursery." She calls down the hallway.

"Oh my goodness, this is adorable!" Christina gushes, looking around the room in awe.

"Two rockers! I'm jealous." Shauna says.

"Two babies." I reply with a smirk.

"Double trouble indeed. What if they're like you?" Zeke asks me.

"You mean, devastatingly attractive, highly intelligent, well spoken and all around amazing?" I reply.

"Don't forget modest." Caleb replies with a laugh.

"I'm pretty sure he just described Tris." Christina pipes in.

"Indeed I did." I smirk.

"You are so whipped." Zeke says.

"Happy wife, happy life." I shrug. "Besides, you guys have eyes, tell me you wouldn't want to be whipped by this sexy woman." I growl as I nibble on her neck.

"My eyes!" Caleb yells as he laughs and walks out of the room.

"This is nothing, you're lucky you don't live here. These two never come up for air." Shauna says and Caleb starts singing loudly with his fingers in his ears, causing everyone to break out in raucous laughter.

We make our way back out to our living room and continue our conversations, only breaking when Ava and Zach decide to have a screaming content.

"Someone is ready for bed." Zeke says as he gathers his wailing son.

"Make that two someone's." Will agrees as he helps Christina pack Ava's toys away.

"Look what you two have to look forward to. When one baby has a meltdown, all babies must participate." Marlene laughs. "Ok, we're gonna head out too. Tris looks like she's about to fall asleep standing up."

We exchange our goodbyes and Tris plops on the couch, wiggling her toes towards me.

"Would someone like a foot rub?" I ask.

"It's for the babies, you know. They love your foot rubs." She smiles. I grab her feet, put them on my lap and massage them. Tris lays back on the couch, and within minutes she's fast asleep.

The text alert sounds on my phone, so I carefully get up and cover Tris with our favorite fuzzy blanket before grabbing my phone off the counter. I see the text is from Four.

 _F: She just showed up at my apartment._

 _E: Who?_

 _F: Rayne_

I shake my head at the thought. She finally moved back to Amity several weeks ago, in the middle of a work day and she sent a simple text to Tris letting her know Four could have his apartment back. Four didn't contest the divorce, and since the child she's pregnant with isn't his they only need to wait 90 days from the date of their separation for it to be final. There's no reason for the two to talk.

 _E: Why?_

 _F: She wants to talk. I'm uncomfortable, especially since my lawyer recommended I'm not alone with her. She won't leave._

 _E: I'll be right there._

 _F: Thanks man. Use your key._

I glance over at Tris and she's sleeping soundly. I grab a notepad and write a quick note letting her know I'm going to Four's, and I move her phone and a bottle of water onto the coffee table within her reach. I kiss her forehead before grabbing my keys and phone and heading to Four's. I reach his door quickly, letting myself in with the key he gave me and find both he and Rayne sitting on opposite sides of the L shaped couch, silently glaring at each other.

"Was it really necessary to call for back up?" Rayne asks.

"Yes. I don't want to be alone, I need to be sure whatever we talk about doesn't get twisted and used against me." Four replies evenly.

"Fine." She huffs. She pulls a folder out of her oversized bag and hands it to Four.

"What's this?" He asks, looking at the folder.

"There was a typo on the paperwork I got from my initial doctors appointment. I wasn't going to tell you, but the deception has been eating at me." She replies.

"What are you talking about?" He asks, sitting the folder down. "Since when does deception bother you when you were sleeping with another man behind my back for three months?"

I glance at Rayne and I immediately know what's about to happen. She's showing, and not the size of a woman who's under three months pregnant should be. It suddenly makes sense, she had started wearing oversized sweatshirts and hoodies, or hiding under jackets before she and Four separated. Four still hasn't looked at the folder contents, instead he's just staring at Rayne.

"I knew before I left, which is why it took me so long to actually go. I wanted to tell you." She says.

"Tell me what Rayne?" He asks angrily.

"When I went to the doctor initially and found out I was pregnant, they couldn't do an ultrasound because the equipment was malfunctioning. They did the old fashioned way of measuring me, and tried to guesstimate based on my last cycle...but that was irregular from coming off the birth control so the measurements is what they used. When they typed up the report, they listed me as six weeks pregnant, and I didn't question it really. I had a follow up appointment a few days later in Erudite, and they were able to do the ultrasound there. I wasn't six weeks pregnant, I was sixteen weeks pregnant. They explained the original measurements were correct, and it was a typo that I was listed as six weeks."

I look at Four and he appears to be trying to mentally process what she's telling him.

"Right now, I'm twenty four weeks pregnant. This baby is yours." She says quietly. "I knew you didn't want to be a father, so instead of telling you it was yours I let you believe it was Jacob's. But it's not. I was already pregnant when I started seeing him."

"There's no way." Four says, shaking his head. "You can't come in here and say shit like this to me."

"Look in the folder. It's all there." She replies weakly.

I'm about as uncomfortable as a person can possibly be at the moment. Before I can even begin to form a sentence, the door opens and Tris walks in.

"Oh." She says as she takes in the scene in front of her. "Sorry. I got your note and you weren't answering your phone."

"Come on in Tris, the more the merrier. You can join the how much can we torture Tobias show." Four says angrily.

"Tobias, please." Rayne says.

"No. Please nothing. You don't get to keep fucking with me. You are sitting here telling me you _knew_ that was my kid and you still fucked someone else? Then you tell us both its _his_ kid? Then you leave me and file for divorce? All because I wasn't quite ready to have a baby when you were? You stopped your birth control without even telling me!" Four says.

"I think we should go. This is a conversation that the two of you should continue in private." Tris says and I stand up to join her.

"Yeah, I agree. Four, our home is open for you anytime." I reply, glaring at Rayne. Four nods at me and Tris and I leave their apartment.

"What the fuck did I walk in on?" Tris asks me as soon as we start walking home.

"She's been hiding that she's six months pregnant and she knew it was his kid the whole time."

"Oh my fucking God." She replies, stopping in her tracks. "How did we not notice that?"

"Baggy clothes I guess. I could tell tonight that she was a whole lot more pregnant that she had originally claimed to be." I reply, shaking my head. "I feel for him."

"Me too. As much as I want to run in there and fix everything for them this is definitely something they gotta figure out on their own." Tris replies as she starts walking again. I grab her hand and thread our fingers together.

"Have I told you how much I love you today?" I ask and she laughs.

"Yes, but I always love to hear it." She replies.

We make it back to our apartment and as I close the door Tris stops walking.

"Babe, I almost ran into you. What's wrong?" I ask.

"Our children are having a boxing match in here I swear." She grabs my hands and places them on her belly.

"Holy hell. They are active tonight." I chuckle. We don't move, instead we both place our hands on her rounded belly and just feel the beautiful movements of our babies. "I can't wait till they're here." I say.

"We're in the home stretch baby. Ten more weeks to go." She replies as she leans her head against my shoulder.

"As much as I'm enjoying this moment, let's get you to bed. We have a meeting with your dad at 7:00."

"I really don't understand the Abnegation's obsession with morning meetings. At least they're coming here." She replies as she walks to our bedroom.

"I don't either." She replies as she undresses. As soon as I slip my tshirt off she takes it from me and puts it on. I smile at her when she brings it to her nose and smells it. "Don't laugh at me, you are my favorite smell. Plus, your shirt is so warm when I get it right off of you."

"You know what else would warm you up, right?" I ask as I pull my shirt off of her and kiss her neck.

"What would that be?" She asks, moaning when I rub my hands across her swollen breasts.

"Me. Inside of you." I reply before taking a nipple in my mouth.

"Baby, they've been leaking." She says, trying to move my face. I gently suck and soon I can taste her sweet milk.

"I don't mind." I reply as I switch to the other breast before slipping her boyshorts off, leaving her bare.

"I feel so self conscious." She quietly says. I put my hand under her chin and tilt her face towards mine.

"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and if it's possible the fact that you are carrying our children makes you that much more attractive to me." I take her hand and place it on the outside of my boxers. "Do you feel this? Only you can do this to me without ever touching me." I moan as she traces a finger over my erection.

"You are overdressed." She whispers and I immediately slip my boxers off. She takes my hand and guides me to the bed, and we lay down facing each other.

She leans in and kisses me, while slowly stroking me. I can't help but thrust into her hand with every motion.

"Turn over baby. Put your back towards me." I whisper and she complies. I move closer to her, angling my body so I can slip between her legs. I lift one of her legs up, holding it over my arm and I line up and enter her gently.

"Oh Eric, that feels good." She says breathily. I slip in and out of her with ease, she's soaking wet and the angle we're at has me hitting a spot that makes her moan.

"You are so fucking wet." I groan as I quicken my pace. "Baby, let me know if this hurts you."

I'm answered with a loud moan and I lift her leg a little more. She's not forming sentences, instead just moaning a combination of my name and expletives. She's clenching around my cock and she's not even cumming yet, I'm trying to hold back my own orgasm but fighting a losing battle. She arches her back slightly and I can feel her walls pulsing around me as she yells out my name, and I chase my own release within seconds. We are both panting to catch out breath.

"I know that we've had to get creative because of my belly, but we are going to have to keep some of these positions in the line up on a permanent basis. Holy hell." She says breathily.

"I'm quite ok with that." I gently lower her leg and pull my softening member out of her. We don't move any further, I just wrap my arms around her from behind and spoon her.

The beeping of my alarm wakes me, but I notice it stops almost as soon as it starts. I open my eyes and see my wife standing near the window with her tablet in her hands.

"Our meeting was cancelled, my dad's fighting a nasty cold and he doesn't want to chance being around me when he's sick. You can sleep a little longer." She tells me quietly. I pat the bed next to me and she crawls in next to me, turning her back against me so I can wrap my arms around her.

"How long have you been up?" I ask.

"Awhile. The babies have been so active this morning that I couldn't get comfortable. My back has been bothering me too." She sighs.

"You should have woken me up." I remark as I start gently kneading the muscles in her lower back.

"One of us needed to be coherent today." She chuckles.

I continue to rub her back until I hear her breathing deeply and realize she's asleep. I reach for my cell phone to set an alarm and notice I have some unread texts.

 _F: Thanks for coming by. Things are decent. Will fill you in tomorrow. I plan on being at the training room at 6:00 if you want to join._

That's promising, I check the time and see it's 5:30, so I do have time to meet Four in the training room. I scroll through and see my other texts are from my father in law, letting me know that he thinks he may have the flu and he needed to cancel the meeting, which I already knew from what Tris told me this morning. He also wanted to know how Tris and the babies were doing. I answer his texts before getting out of bed, careful to not wake Tris.

I slip into my boxers, then some shorts and a tank top before grabbing my shoes and socks and heading into the living room. I write Tris a note before slipping out the door.

I find Four sitting on a bench taping his knuckles. He sees me walk in and tosses me the tape.

"How are things?" I ask cautiously.

"I'm going to be a father." He replies while continuing to work on his knuckles.

"You gonna make me drag it out of you?" I ask and he smirks at me.

"I don't want to be my dad." He replies. He's looking straight at me now, waiting for a reaction.

"Do you honestly think you are anything like that man?" I ask. He shrugs. "Listen to me, I'm only going to say this once so you'd better pay attention. You are nothing like that poor excuse for a man. You've never laid a hand on a woman out of anger. You've never laid a hand on anyone else for any other reason other than to spar or fight. You aren't perfect, but who fucking is? I don't know what's going to happen with you and Rayne, but I do know you're going to be a great father. Tris and I had already made up our minds to ask you to be the godfather of our children. That's not a decision we made lightly, but we made it knowing you would love and protect our children just as if they were your own. Tobias, you are a good man. He didn't make you that way, _you_ did. Stop doubting yourself."

Four sits and stares at me, his expression makes me realize he's processing and dissecting everything I just said to him.

"You'd trust me to be Harper and Tucker's godfather?" He asks.

"Yes. You were going to be Gunnar's too." I reply quietly. "Whether you want to admit it or not, you are my best friend, no matter what shit we've gone through in our past. I trust you with my life, and with the lives of my wife and children."

"I won't let you down." He replies solemnly.

"I know you won't. But, you'd better act surprised when we ask you, because if Tris knows I told you without her she'll probably cut me." I reply and he chuckles.

"No probably about it, she _will_ cut you. Thanks Eric. Seriously." He replies and I nod. We get up and start punching the bags. After about ten minutes of silence, he starts talking again.

"Would you ever be able to forgive Tris if she cheated on you?" He asks.

"There's nothing that could ever happen between her and I that would make me stop loving her, that's for sure. But, if you're asking me if I could forgive her if she did to me what Rayne did to you, I'm not sure I could answer that honestly. I don't know how I'd feel. Forgive, probably, forget, never."

"I love Ray. You know how you talk about soulmates and shit, well that's her for me. I never wanted the divorce, even after I knew she had cheated. Fuck, even after I thought she was pregnant with another man's kid. I want to be angry at her for coming here last night and telling me all that shit, but all I can do is think about how happy I am that she came to me, and how happy I am that the baby inside of her is mine too. I feel like a lunatic for thinking this way." He says.

"Don't overthink it. You want to forgive her, then do it. She's your wife man. This isn't some girl you were just dating, or warming your bed with. She's more than that to you." I reply.

"She's everything. It sounds ridiculous." He replies.

"No, it doesn't. That's Tris to me. I know I've always said I wouldn't have tried to steal another mans girl, but I'm telling you I was close to it when you two were together. When you love someone, you do whatever it takes to make it work and to make each other happy. You don't need anyone's permission to be happy. Do what feels right and don't let her slip away if she's what you want."

"If I take her back, everyone is going to think I'm insane."

"Just like everyone thought I was when I married _your_ girlfriend. Seriously Four, think back on that. Look how people reacted, yourself included. Everyone thought we were insane, no one thought we would last, and we had to deal with the stares and whispers for months. I didn't care then, and I don't care now. I married the love of my life, and I'm happy. Who cares what anyone thought of it then, or what they think of it now?" I reply.

"You're right. People already act like assholes because you and I are friends now. Even though you two have been married forever now, people still expect me to hate you and they give me shit all the time. I don't care what they think, you're my best friend and they can go fuck themselves." He says as he takes his frustration out on the bag in front of him.

"There ya go, that's the attitude you need to have when it comes to your wife and child. Who cares what everyone else thinks. All bullshit aside, you two should talk to Johanna. She's great, and she was essential in saving Tris and me when we were going though our issues."

"I've been talking to her for awhile on my own. She and I had a conversation the day I picked her up and brought her to your office, and it kind of grew from there. I know Ray wouldn't be opposed to talking to her." He replies and stops hitting his bag. "Eric, thank you."

"No thanks needed. It's what friends do, right?" I reply and he shakes my hand. "Now, don't forget to act surprised about the godfather thing. She really will kill me."

"You are scared of your tiny little wife." He chuckles.

"She's tiny, but deadly, and I'm not scared, I'm terrified." I reply and we both laugh.


	29. Making Introductions

Chapter 29: Making Introductions

Eric POV

Punch. Step. Punch. Kick. Repeat. I step off the mat for a moment and quirk an eyebrow at my wiry opponent, who bounces on the balls of his feet like an over eager initiate.

"Better?" Uriah asks.

"Still predictable." I reply with a smirk.

"You probably have fifty pounds of muscle over me, plus you're a head taller than me. Come on man, give me a little credit." He grins.

"Fine. You're about as hard to hit as a fucking housefly. Happy?" I smirk.

"Yeah man, from you that's the utmost in compliments!" He smiles and does one of his idiotic dances. I just laugh and shake my head at him. "You ready for choosing day?" He asks.

"As ready as we can be I guess. I really don't like having two leaders tied up in training initiates though. I really need you and Four to have back ups in place, because you know that Tris and I will be on leave after the twins are born. Plus with Four having a kid on the way too, it's going to be difficult."

"So you're really not gonna replace Rayne?" He asks.

"I haven't said I'm against the sixth leader, but in all honesty we only brought a sixth leader on to start with because we had four leaders who were married to each other. Now it's just Tris and me, so it's not as big of an issue." I explain.

"Yeah, but you're the head leader now. Big shoes to fill if you're not around, you know?"

"That just means I need to make sure any one of you is ready to take my place at a moments notice." I reply. "Now, stop distracting me, who are your backups for training?"

"We've got it under control boss man. Shauna is already going to be training the transfers with Four, and Chris with me. We've got Dillon and Jasper shadowing, and Jess on standby." Uri explains as we hit the treadmills for a cool down jog.

"Dillon? I hate that little prick. Who's idea is it to let him train initiates?" I growl.

"Your wife's." Uri replies. "She didn't tell you?"

"No. We are talking about the same kid who Tris almost castrated during his initiation, right?"

"Mhmm." Uri hums. "Apparently he and Tris buried the hatchet a little while back, and he's actually not as much of a dickhead as he was back in training. Kid grew up, and he's been great working patrol with Shauna."

"Am I that out of touch with my faction?" I ask.

"Naw man, that's why you have us. You have enough to do every day without having to deal with the kids who need some extra coddling to get off their mom's boob." He laughs.

"You are seriously warped." I shake my head at him and laugh.

"You love me, big guy!" He makes kissy noises at me and I laugh harder. "Tell me again why you're not letting me go to the choosing ceremony." He says with a mock pout.

"You know why, I was selected to be the fucking host of the ceremony or whatever. Johanna acts like it's some big honor. Believe me when I say I'd rather do anything other than give motivational speeches to a bunch of dependents. Besides, I want you and Four at that net scaring the piss out of them after they jump." I reply.

"One day, you're gonna let me go and I'm gonna be the bad ass that scares the piss out of them on the roof." He replies.

"I'm sure that can be arranged, but for me to do that I'm going to need you to prove that you can't joke or smile for at least an hour."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah I know. Whatever. One day I will." He replies.

"Alright I gotta go get ready to go to the ceremony. You did good this morning. Keep it up." I nod at him and the kid has an ear to ear smile. As much as I like to give him shit, Uriah is a damn hard worker. I just like to make him work for his compliments.

I walk into the apartment and I'm greeted by the smell of bacon.

"Oh good, you're just in time for me to finish the eggs." Tris says glancing at me from the kitchen.

"Babe, do you ever just rest? You are five weeks from giving birth and you are still full speed ahead. Let me finish." I reply as I walk into the kitchen.

"No way! Get your stinky and sweaty butt into the shower." She replies, swatting me with a towel.

"You love my stinky and sweaty butt. Admit it, it turns you on." I reply as I grab her from behind and nuzzle her neck.

"You are so gross!" She squeals. "Go shower!"

I plant a kiss on her neck and swat her butt before heading to take a quick shower. I throw on boxers and a tshirt and head to join my wife for breakfast. She's sitting on our couch with her feet propped up, so I fix each of us a plate and bring them over to her, then get two glasses of orange juice before I sit next to her.

"Hey gorgeous." I say before kissing her cheek.

"You smell so much better now." She grins before kissing me softly.

"I heard that you and Dillon are getting along now. Kind of surprised me." I say before digging in to my plate.

"He was getting some really good reports from Shauna and Peter too. I decided to keep an eye on him and it seems like he's really become a good soldier. Maybe he just needed to grow up, I mean look at Peter." She replies.

I shake my head thinking about Peter. The guy has come a long way, from one of the people I was most likely to toss into the chasm to becoming a respected squad leader for one of our best patrol teams.

"I guess anything is possible." I shrug.

We finish our breakfast and I collect our plates, cleaning the kitchen and starting the dishwasher before getting dressed. I hear Tris talking to someone in our living room, so I head out as soon as I'm finished getting ready.

"Hey Mar." I say. "What brings you by so early?"

"I figured I'd do a house call since I knew you had to leave for the choosing ceremony." She replies with a smile. I see her checking Tris' blood pressure. "She's still good."

"Thank you, I really appreciate you doing this." I reply to Marlene.

I walk over to where Tris is still sitting and I give her a kiss. "I love you baby." I say before planting two more kisses on her belly. "And I love you both too."

"I love you too." She replies with a smile. "Go scare them for me."

"You know I will." I reply with a wicked smile. "Bye baby. Bye Mar."

"Have fun Eric." She laughs.

As I'm walking towards the train someone grabs my arm. I turn and find Rayne standing in front of me.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" She asks.

"No." I reply quickly before walking off.

Rayne's been back in the compound for a little over a month now, in which she's tried desperately to not only repair her marriage, but also the friendships she ruined with her actions. I love my wife dearly, and Four is my best friend, but their Abnegation upbringing allowed them to forgive her entire too quickly in my opinion. She's officially become off topic for Tris and I, mostly because we cannot seem to see eye to eye when it comes to her. I've explained to both Four and Tris that what they decide to do in their own individual relationships with the woman were their business, but I was under no obligation to forgive her or to like her very much. Zeke and Uri, being the laid back and fun loving knuckleheads that they are forgave her pretty quickly as well, but Chris, Will, Marlene, Shauna and I have all been pretty wary of her presence since her return.

The number of Dauntless milling around waiting around for the train is a nice site, most of them giving me nods but keeping their distance. No matter how much my wife and soon to be children have softened my heart, for the rest of the faction I'm still the asshole leader, and I kind of like it.

The train ride is the usual Dauntless affair, loud and raucous, and disembarking is even more theatrical than usual with the captive audience of dependents who all watch as they are waiting to go inside of the Hub. If nothing else, we sure as hell know to make an entrance. I make my way through the crowd, garnering many stares and whispers as everyone moves out of my way. I chuckle internally at the terrified glances I get from the sea of grey clad dependents. If they only knew that I was now married to a woman who once looked at me in her shapeless grey dress the same way they are now.

"You definitely make a striking entrance." Johanna says after I've entered the Hub, gathering me into a hug.

"The Stiffs are quite hysterical." I reply causing her to shake her head.

"Does your wife know you call her former faction mates that horrible word?" She scolds.

"I call her that horrible word every once in awhile." I grin.

"You are as incorrigible as ever Eric Coulter." She replies as we walk to the stage to inspect the bowls and knives.

"How is Tris? I miss seeing her." She asks.

"She's good, really good. Only five weeks left to go. Blood pressure has been almost perfect, no complications, she's still working Johanna. It's taken everything I have not to go caveman on her and make her stay home."

Johanna laughs. "You choose your battles wisely Eric."

The dependents and their families are finally let inside and seated in their respective factions. I take my place in front of the bowls, standing tall with my hands clasped behind my back. I scan the crowd and see many sets of nervous eyes, some even terrified, but some meet my eyes with a fierceness that I recognize seeing in my wife's eyes many years ago.

I step forward to begin my speech. As much as Tris tried to get me to prepare something to read, I found that it's more effective for me to speak from my heart.

"Good morning everyone. My name is Eric Coulter, I'm the head leader at Dauntless, the warrior faction. Yesterday, you took a test that is designed to give you insight regarding which faction you belong to. While I'm in no way trying to discredit the aptitude test, I also want to remind you all to follow your own heart as well. Our ancestors created the faction system as a way to group us by our individual strengths. Abnegation is known for their selflessness, and their charitable work with the factionless. Amity is known for their peaceful coexistence, and for providing the food for each of our factions. Candor is known for their pursuit of justice and honesty. Erudite is known for their brilliance and work in development and research and Dauntless is known for their bravery, we are the soldiers who protect our city. When you make your choice today, think about who you are as a person, and who you want to be."

My phone has been buzzing in my pocket, so I decide to cut the speech a bit short. I pull my phone out and see several missed calls, and the newest text I received from Four is displayed on my lock screen.

 _F: Tris is in labor. Get to Erudite. You're becoming a father today!_

"Excuse me for one moment." I announce, quickly walking off the stage towards where the only other two head faction leaders are standing. I'm thankful to see Jack Kang standing with Johanna. Her face is showing confusion.

"Eric?" She starts. I turn towards Jack.

"Here, please finish this." I hand him the papers in my hand. "I have to go, Tris is in labor."

"Of course. Good luck Eric." Jack replies, shaking my hand. Johanna beams.

"I'll come visit soon. Give her my love." Johanna says, kissing my cheek before I run from the room. I quickly make my way to the train platform, and I nervously pace as I wait for it. I call Four.

"Hey, she's fine." He answers. "Where are you?"

"Waiting for the train." I reply. "Who else is there?"

"Chris, Max, Dana, Natalie and Caleb. Her dad is stuck in a meeting, but will be here as soon as he can. Cara is sick." He rambles.

"What happened with Tris? Is she ok?" I ask.

"Eric, she's great. She and I were in her office discussing initiation. She'd been having what she thought were just Braxton-Hicks contractions during our meeting but then her water broke. I got her here immediately, she's fine man. They're examining her now, and don't worry I'm in the hallway and not ogling your wife's goodies." He replies.

"Dick." I reply.

"That would be the part of your body that got her into this predicament." He snickers.

"I swear I'm talking to Uriah right now. Trains almost here asshole, I'll be there soon." I reply.

"Ok man."

"Four. Take care of them." I say in a serious tone.

"You know I will. See you soon." He says before disconnecting. Within minutes I am running alongside the train and hopping on, waiting impatiently to get to Erudite. I send a text to Will to get him to the Hub to escort the initiates and another to Uriah telling him he needs to be on the roof to scare the shit out of them. I think I just made his day. Will texts me back to let me know that Rayne is stepping in with the initiates in Four's place so he can stay at the hospital with us. I'm too scattered to even argue with them, besides I need to trust the other leaders to make sound decisions.

Once I've finally made it to the hospital, I'm quickly escorted to my wife's room, where she is smiling and surrounded by family.

"Hey beautiful." I say as I go to her side and lean over to kiss her.

"Hey love. Our babies are coming." She says with a huge smile. I exchange hugs with the rest of our family before taking my place next to the bed. "What did Dr. Morgan say?" I ask.

"Tucker still hasn't turned around, so I have to have another c-section. There's just not enough room in there for them to get him turned around." She replies. "I've already got my epidural, so I'm in no pain at all during the contractions."

"You are so much calmer than me baby." I reply and she squeezes my hand.

"I'm ready to meet our children." She smiles.

"Me too." I reply before giving her another kiss.

Dr. Morgan enters the room and tells us it's time to take Tris back. I step away so everyone can give Tris their love.

"Ok Eric, we need to get you ready to go in with her. You'll be going with James, he's going to get you everything you need." The doctor instructs.

"Got it. Let me talk to my wife and I'll be right there." I reply to the two men. I walk over to Tris, give her a kiss and let her know I'd see her in the operating room. I follow James to another room, where he gives me scrubs to change in to and instructs me on how to prepare myself to be in the room with her. Within minutes, he's escorting me to the operating room, and Tris is already on a table with a large curtain covering her lower half.

"Hey love. You ok?" I ask as I sit in the chair next to her head. She looks panicked.

"I'm scared baby. I wasn't awake last time, and this time what if something happens. Do you think Tucker is ok?" She asks nervously with a tear slipping out of her eye.

"Tris, everything is fine. They are good, and your son doesn't like conforming any more than either of us do. Did you really expect him to do exactly what he was supposed to do? He is _our_ child." I reply with a smile, causing her to grin.

"He must get that from you." She deadpans.

"You realize you are probably the most stubborn person I have ever met." I reply with an eyeroll.

"I feel the same way about you." She grins up at me. "Eric, I love you so much."

"I love you more." I reply, leaning over to kiss her sweet lips one more time.

"Ok Tris and Eric, are you ready to meet your children?" Dr. Morgan asks.

"Yes, lets do this Nathan!" Tris yells, getting a chuckle from everyone in the room.

"You heard the lady, let's get this started." He replies. He lets Tris know she'll feel pressure as the surgery progresses, and goes over what to expect.

I grab Tris' hand and lace our fingers together. She smiles at me when I kiss her hand. I whisper encouragement in her ear as the surgery begins.

"Meet your son, here's Tucker." Nathan calls out as he lifts Tucker up so we can see him. He's quickly handed to a nurse who takes him over for an exam, and we hear his little cries.

"We're just going to get him cleaned up Mama, then we'll bring him to you." The nurse calls out.

"Oh my God, he's here." Tris says through tears. I lean my forehead to hers and we both try to compose ourselves. Within minutes Nathan calls out to us again.

"Meet little Miss Harper." He says, holding her up so we can see her before she's whisked away. We soon hear a her crying as they examine her.

"We just need to get you stiched up Tris, it'll take us about half an hour or so, so just relax and don't go anywhere ok?" Nathan snickers.

The nurse brings Tucker over and moves Tris' gown so she can get skin to skin contact with our son.

"One perfectly healthy baby boy, here's your son. He's five pounds nine ounces." The nurse says as she lays Tucker down on Tris' bare chest.

"And one perfectly healthy baby girl, she's five pounds one ounce." The other nurse announces, laying Harper on the other side of Tris's chest.

"They're perfect." Tris says while crying.

"They really are." I reply, both of us overcome with emotion. I gently place my hand across my children's backs and caress each one. "Baby, we made them. They are so beautiful." I kiss each of their little heads before kissing Tris.

"I can't believe they're here." Tris replies.

"Mom and Dad, we need to get them to the nursery. I don't think we're going to need any NICU time, but we need to have them thoroughly checked out, it's just a precaution since you're not quite thirty six weeks. Go ahead and say bye for now, and as soon as we have the green light we'll bring them to your room." The nurse, who I recognize as James announces before he and the other nurse gently pick the babies up and whisk them away.

"Eric, we're almost done here, so I'm going to have Keisha escort you out so you can change and be with your family. Tris will be brought back to her room for recovery shortly if you'd like to gather everyone to wait there." Nathan says.

"I love you baby. You did so good today. I'm so happy." I tell Tris as I kiss her.

"I'm so proud of us. I love you too Eric, so much. I'll see you soon. Go tell everyone about our beautiful babies." She replies. I kiss her hands and her lips one more time before following Keisha out of the room.

I get changed and head out to the waiting room, where I find Natalie, Andrew, Caleb, Max, Dana, Four, Chris, Zeke and Marlene. Everyone looks at me expectantly as soon as I walk through the door.

"Tucker Michael Coulter is here, weighing in at five pounds and nine ounces, followed minutes later by Harper Grace Coulter at five pounds one ounce. Mom and babies are doing well, we have healthy babies." I announce with tears in my eyes as I get hugs from everyone.

Mostly everyone wants to go by the nursery so they can peek through the window at the twins, so I do a quick check at the nurses station and ask that they call me as soon as Tris is brought back to her room. As we walk to the nursery, Four falls into step beside me.

"How you feeling?" He asks.

"I'm a dad. I feel fucking amazing." I reply.

"You guys are going to be awesome parents. You and Tris have this intense bond, that's going to mean a lot to your kids growing up." He laments.

"I know I'm going to do my best to not be the way my parents are, that's for sure. You're going to be great Tobias, you know that right?"

"I'm going to do my best, just like you man." He replies.

We get to the window and the nurses have pushed the little cribs close to the front so everyone can see the twins. Now that they've been cleaned up and swaddles in their blankets, I can see that they both share features from both Tris and me.

"They're beautiful." Natalie says, I watch as Andrew puts his arms around his wife's shoulder in a rare show of affection.

"They are perfect." Max adds, a hint of awe in his voice. James pokes his head out the window.

"Dad, would you like to come in and hold your baby?" He asks. My eyes widen and I freeze for a moment.

"I can do that? Right now?" I ask and he nods. He has me wash my hands throughly and slip a gown over my clothes before ushering me to a chair.

"Here's Tucker." He says quietly as he gently places my son in my arms. "Harper needs a little oxygen." He sees the immediate panic in my eyes. "It's perfectly normal with preemies, she's fine and you have nothing to worry about. Once her levels are better we'll bring both of them in to your wife's room, ok?"

"She's really ok right, you're not trying to soften the blow or anything are you?" I ask the older man.

"She's perfect, really. They're both strong and neither of them will even require any time in the NICU which is great considering they're early. Don't worry Mr. Coulter." James replies.

"It's Eric, and thank you." I reply.

"Ok Eric, I'll give you two a few minutes." He smiles as he walks away.

I look down at my son and I realize I'm fucked trying to reign these emotions in.

"Hey little man, I'm your dad. I'm new at this, so let's make a deal that we cut each other a lot of slack until we figure this out, ok? I didn't really have much of a dad growing up, but that's ok because it showed me the type of dad I didn't want to be. Your grandpa Max and grandpa Andrew have taught me a lot, and I'm going to make them proud. Tucker you and your sister are the best things to ever happen to your mom and me." Suddenly he opens his eyes and they're the same blue grey as my wife's. "My little man, you look like your mommy. You're going to meet her soon. She saved me Tuck, I know you don't understand what that means, but it's ok because it's our secret. I just want you to know how amazing she is and how lucky you are to have her as your mommy."

Tucker just keeps looking at me, his blue grey eyes never leaving mine. I start to rock him gently and soon his eyelids become too heavy and he loses the battle against sleep.

"Eric, we need to take Tucker for his next exam." James says and I nod. I kiss Tucker's forehead and hand him back to James. "We should have them in for you both really soon. I just got word that your wife is being taken to her room now too, most of your family has already headed that way." He adds.

"Thanks James." I reply as I take the gown off and head out of the room. I find Four in the hallway waiting for me.

"So, how was it?" He asks.

"I never thought anything would top the night I married Tris, but damn if this isn't the best day of my life. I could only hold Tucker because Harper needed oxygen, which they said is totally normal. Man, he has Tris' eyes. He just watched me, it was like he knew me." I shake my head in awe.

"Of course he knows you, he heard your voice. They know who their dad is." He replies as we walk back to Tris' room.

"You've been reading those baby books, huh?" I ask.

"Ofcourse. I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Figured it's best to be prepared, as my very Erudite minded friend reminded me." He smirks at me and I laugh.

"It helps, so instead of being a shit a simple thank you will suffice." I reply and he chuckles.

"Yeah whatever."

We walk into the room and find Tris surrounded by our friends and family. I try to hang back and let everyone have some time with her. She catches my eye and grins at me before turning her attention back to her mom and Dana.

"Hey son. How are the babies?" Max asks.

"Good, I got to hold Tucker, and as soon as Harper's oxygen levels are up they're going to bring them both in here. They said it wasn't anything to worry about, perfectly normal for a preemie." I explain.

"Dana got the nurse to sneak a picture with her phone, I hope you don't mind." He replies handing me the phone. It's a great pic, it's candid and shows Tucker and I looking at each other while I rocked him.

"Damn, this is great." I reply.

"I thought so too. You look like a natural." He smiles.

"I just want to be a good dad. I don't want them to grow up feeling like I did." I reply.

"You will be. You and Tris have a solid, loving and happy marriage. You may have never thought you'd be where you are today looking back at where the two of you started, but the commitment you both have to your family is evident in everything you do." He replies.

"Thanks Max."

We say our goodbyes to Zeke and Marlene, all making promises to visit tomorrow. Caleb decides to leave too, letting us know he's feeling a little under the weather and doesn't want to risk passing anything to the twins, and it leaves us with just our parents and Chris and Four. I make my way over to Tris, pulling the chair right next to her bed so I can take her hand in mine.

"I'm glad the two of you stayed, we have something important we wanted to ask you." Tris says to Chris and Four once she's gotten them close to her bed. "You two are our best friends, more like family to us, and we were wondering if you'd be Tucker and Harper's godparents.

Christina's smile threatens to split her face, and Four perfects his shocked face.

"Oh my gosh, I'd be honored. Thank you." Chris says, giving Tris a kiss on her cheek and hugging me.

"You aren't afraid that I'll screw them up?" Four jokes as Tris scowls at him. "I'm kidding woman! I'd be honored to be their godfather. Thank you for trusting me with that." He kisses her forehead and shakes my hand.

We are interrupted by a knock at the door, and James and Keisha roll the little clear bassinets with Harper and Tucker.

"Oh my word, they are just beautiful." Dana says as she fawns over her grandchildren.

"We're going to bring them back to the nursery for tonight at least so you can rest mom, but we'll leave them here with you for awhile. I do want to show Tris how to feed her babies, would you all mind giving us just a few minutes of privacy?" Keisha asks and our friends and family leave the room.

Keisha shows Tris how to set up the nursing pillow. Then she explains the different coaxing methods for latching, and goes over all the basics of breastfeeding and pumping.

"Tucker's been the most fussy, so would you like to start with him?" Keisha asks and Tris nods. She hands Tucker to her, and shows her how to get him comfortable on the pillow. Tucker takes very little coaxing before he's happily feeding. She gets Harper next, and while she takes more coaxing just because she was sleeping she also begins feeding rather quickly. Keisha goes over just a few more pointers before she quietly exits the room, giving Tris and I privacy.

"Hey, what's wrong baby?" Tris asks me.

"Nothing at all. This is just the most beautiful thing I've ever witnessed. You feeding our children. I love you all so much." I reply. I caress each baby's head while watching them. When they are finished, I take Tucker to burp him and change his diaper, while Tris burps Harper. Once I have Tucker changed, I bundle him up like Keisha showed me and hand him back to Tris so I can change and bundle Harper. I take my daughter with me as I walk around the room.

"Not bad for our first time." Tris says sleepily.

"We're a good team." I reply. "I'm going to go get everyone, will you be ok with Tucker for a minute?"

"Of course." She smiles. I walk down to the waiting room and gesture for everyone to follow. Once back in the room, everyone takes turns washing their hands and holding the babies.

Soon, everyone has bid their goodbyes to give Tris some time to rest. We feed and change both babies once more, and Tris pumps for their overnight feedings as well before Keisha and James pick both of them up for the night.

Tris is exhausted, and the pain medication they've given her is making her even more drowsy, so I move my chair close and hold her hand while she falls asleep. A nurse named Avery comes in to check on us, and she brings me in supplies so I can sleep on the oversized sofa that's in the room.

While Tris is sleeping I decide to head down to the nursery to check on the twins. They're both asleep, and the overnight nurse fills me in on their progress so far, which is all positive. I'm so nervous about leaving them, but I realize this may be the last night of sleep we will get in awhile so I decide to head back to the room and try to get some rest. After one last check on Tris, I finally get settled on the surprisingly comfortable sofa, and eventually fall asleep.


	30. Pillow Talk

Chapter 30: Pillow Talk

Tris POV

I'm standing in front of the full length mirror, wearing a tank top and shorts that finally fit me after having the twins. I've finally gotten over the fact that I have stretch marks, mostly due to my amazing husband. He somehow manages to make me feel loved and desired even on my worst days. I would have never thought that the grouchy leader who trained me would ever want to be with me in any romantic way, much less marry me. Eric was an ass, there's no way to sugar coat the way he used to be. He was short tempered, difficult and damn near impossible to please during our leadership training. I've learned there is a method to his madness though, because his tough love training approach has made some great Dauntless soldiers, and earned him the respect of the entire faction. He certainly isn't a teddy bear now by any means when it comes to work, but his closest friends can finally see the person he is beneath the persona he projects while working.

After all this time, I'm still in awe of my husband. Watching him become a father has been such a beautiful experience. Eric is very protective of what's his, to some it appears that he is possessive and I think that is a fair assessment, but without the negative connotations that typically go with that word. He is an amazing father, from the moment we learned we were pregnant he's been right by my side. That hasn't changed in the seven weeks we've been home with our children. We both get up with the babies at night, working together to feed and change them. We also work together to bathe and dress them, and we enjoy our "awake" time usually by reading to the twins or occasionally singing. The first time I heard Eric singing over the baby monitor I stopped what I was doing to just listen. I've known he can play the guitar, it was something he'd often do in his office while we trained together as it always seemed to help us de-stress after a trying day. To hear my large, muscular, tattooed and pierced husband playing the guitar and singing like the Amity hippies he can barely tolerate is quite entertaining. He actually has a great singing voice, but he'll never consciously let anyone, including me, hear it. I cherish the little snippets of songs I catch when he doesn't realize I'm listening.

"My boobs are lopsided." I groan as I look in the mirror. "Look, the left one is bigger than the right one."

"Your boobs are the same size. You are nuts." Christina replies. "Besides, you are methodical about nursing and pumping, there's no way one boob has gotten any more action that the other."

"You don't see it?" I ask, turning towards Chris.

"Your boobs look damn phenomenal. Seriously Tris, you had twins less than two months ago and your body looks amazing." She replies.

"You always know exactly what to say." I say with a smile.

"It's the truth. So what's really on your mind?" She asks.

"Is it that obvious?"

"To me, yeah. What's wrong?" Christina asks me.

I don't answer at first, instead just focusing on folding the babies clothes while they're napping. Eric had to go to the office for an emergency issue, and Chris came over once Will told her about the work issues to keep me company and help with the babies.

"I don't even know how to start." I reply as I idly fold a onesie.

"Just talk sweetie. Don't overthink it." She prods. I still say nothing. "Are you overwhelmed? Is it Eric? The twins? Work?"

"It's everything. Having two babies can definitely be overwhelming, I mean we aren't getting a whole lot of sleep. I don't know Chris, there are days where I feel like maybe it's too much for us. Will, Four and Uri have done such a great job with Eric and I both out, but I think Eric needs to go back full time." I say, as I fumble over my words.

"Sweetie, has he said or done something?" Chris asks softly. It's only then that I notice I'm crying.

"He's great. God Chris, he's such a good husband and father. He's great with Harper and Tucker. I just feel like I'm holding him back. He's been here with us for almost two months, and there are days that I'm terrified because I don't know if I could do it without him..." I break down in tears and Chris rushes to pull me into her arms.

"Hey, what's going on? Why are you even thinking of any of this? You aren't forcing him to be here, he wants to be here. Tris, he adores you and the family the two of you made. Everyone sees that. What's going on in that head of yours?" Christina asks.

"I don't know." I sniffle as my tears start to soak her shirt.

"Are you feeling like this often?" She asks.

"I'm not depressed Chris. I'm just exhausted. Eric's exhausted. The babies are still waking every few hours to eat. We both get up, he's great, but we're just so tired. How old was Ava before she started sleeping through the night?" I ask.

"She was a little over three months." She replies.

"What about Zach?" I ask.

"Bad example, he was really colicky remember?" She reminds me and I nod.

"Yeah, you're right. I don't know Chris, I'm just all over the place with my thoughts and I'm emotional. I'm sorry for being such a mess."

"You don't ever apologize for being emotional. We are here for each other, it's what friendship is about. You've been a huge help with Ava, and you're my best friend. Tris, go to sleep. I'm here. You pumped not even thirty minutes ago. I can handle the twins. Honey, you are exhausted. Sleep." Chris says.

"No, I can't. I need to get dinner started, and I still have laundry to fold. They'll be up in less than two hours to eat, and you can only feed one of them..."

"Tris. I've got this. I wouldn't offer if I didn't. Come on, lets tuck you in." Christina reaches and tugs me off the floor and leads me back to my room.

"Chris, they can get really cranky, and Tuck is fussy with the bottle sometimes..."

Chris interrupts me again. "I've got this, and I'll call Mar for backup if I need to." She sits me on the bed, tugs my jeans off and pulls my legs up on the bed.

"What about Ava?" I ask.

"She's with Auntie Cara and Uncle Caleb. Will plans on picking her up after work. Stop looking for excuses." She replies.

"Are you sure?" I ask. She pulls the soft throw over me and my head hits the pillow.

"Tris, rest. It's ok sweetie. I've got everything under control." I hear her talking but her voice is slowly fading away.

I don't know how long I've been asleep, but when I wake up I'm extremely warm and there's a heavy arm holding me. I jerk up in the bed, and Eric stirs next to me.

"Baby, lay down." He grumbles in his sleep thickened voice.

"Where are the twins?" I ask as I struggle to get out from his iron grip. "Eric, let me up."

"They're bathed, fed, changed and tucked in. They're asleep babe." He replies.

"What? How? Did you?" I stutter.

"Chris and Mar did most of it before I even got home. They even made us dinner, but I didn't want to wake you. Our friends are fucking awesome." He says as he nuzzles his face into my neck.

"What time is it?" I ask.

"Little before midnight. You hungry babe?" He asks.

"Mhmm. But you sleep." I reply as I crawl out of bed. I notice Eric is also getting up.

"I didn't want to eat without you. They made me go straight to bed when I got home. I've been sleeping for almost four hours." He says as he walks over to me and leans down to kiss me. He moves to pull away and I put both of my hands on the back of his head and pull him back to me and we quickly deepen our kisses.

Eric hovers over me, kissing my neck and ears and working his way back to my mouth. He lays over on his side, pulling me so we're facing each other. I feel him running his warm hand up and down my side, occasionally brushing the side of my breast.

I put my hand inside of his boxers and begin stroking him. He moans into my mouth and I feel him pulling my tshirt up, and we break our kisses long enough for him to get it over my head. He fumbles with my bra, but finally realizes it's a front clasp when I open it for him. He pushes the bra down my shoulders and moves his hands to my panties, tugging them down.

"Baby, are you sure?" He asks breathily before I push him on the bed and straddle him.

"I was cleared last week, and this is the first chance we've had. I need you." I reply.

Eric flips us so he's hovering over me, and he continues to kiss down my neck and he trails down to my breasts. He takes one of my nipples into his mouth and begins sucking gently before I can protest.

"So sweet." He whispers. He moves to the other breast and does the same before he settles between my legs and begins rubbing his finger through my wet folds.

"I love how wet you are." He murmurs as he slides two fingers inside of me. He lowers his mouth to my lower lips and I feel him gently run his tongue around my swollen clit.

"Eric.." I moan as I buck my hips up. Eric gently holds me down while he continues to pump his fingers inside of me while sucking and licking me. "Oh Eric...I love this...I love you..." I whisper as I begin to lose all control. I feel my orgasm building and rushing over me, and my vision blurs as I release. He looks up at me from his spot between my legs and gently removes his fingers, watching me as he sucks them. He crawls back towards me, careful not to put too much of his weight on me.

"There's nothing about you I don't love." He whispers before kissing me deeply. He gently pushes into me, taking his time to ensure he's not causing me any pain.

"Oh my god." I moan and he stops moving.

"Am I hurting you?" He asks.

"No, you feel so good inside of me. I've missed you baby." I reply as I lean up to capture his lips.

Eric slowly thrusts into me, all while he barely removes his lips from mine. I run my hands up and down his muscular back, loving the way his muscles contract and move under his skin. I wrap my legs around him and pull him closer to me while my hips meet each of his thrusts.

"God Tris, you feel so fucking good." He says in between kisses. "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

I can feel my release building and I can tell from the way Eric's muscles are tensing he's close too. I pull him down for a kiss and then whisper in his ear. "Come for me baby. I'm almost there."

He adjusts his angle and starts to thrust harder. I feel the heat building in my lower belly and suddenly I fall apart, biting on his shoulder to keep from yelling his name. I throw my head back when I feel his muscles tense as he spills inside of me, kissing me deeply to soften his moans.

We lay together, still connected while kissing each other. Eric leans back slightly, and he pushes my hair back with one hand before tracing it down my body and around my maze tattoos. He just stares down at me, and in a moment of self consciousness I bring my hands across my stomach to hide the stretch marks there. Eric moves my hands and threads his fingers with mine.

"What are you thinking about?" I ask.

"You are so fucking beautiful." He whispers. "Don't you dare try to cover yourself up. I meant it earlier when I said there is nothing about you that I don't love." He releases my hands and he moves, peppering soft kisses across my stomach.

His stomach growls loudly, breaking our moment and we both begin laughing. "Someone's worked up an appetite. Lets go eat." I say.

Eric and I reluctantly separate, and we both get dressed. I steal his tshirt and pull my panties on while he puts his boxers back on before pulling on a pair of sweatpants. We head to the kitchen and dig into the plates of lasagna that were left for us.

"Eric, I want you to go back to work."

He looks up at me and puts his fork down. "What brought that on?" He asks.

I sigh before I start talking again. "The faction needs you."

"My family needs me. Tris, when _we_ are ready to go back to work, _we_ will go back. We're a team, you and me, and right now our place is with our children." He replies.

"What if I'm ready?" I ask.

Eric cocks his head to the side and studies my face. "Convince me." He smirks.

"Ok...my mom has already offered to watch the twins anytime we need her to. Max and Dana are already chomping at the bit to start babysitting too. I trust our family with our children. Tuck has gotten much better at taking the bottle, and Harper doesn't care as long as she's fed. As much as I love this time here together as a family, I think it's important that we go back to our jobs too. I know we've talked about me reducing my hours, but for us to do that we need another leader in place, especially since Four will be out soon when Rayne has the baby. We have work to do, and we're ready."

"Ok." He replies before picking up his fork and starting to eat again.

"That's it? You're not fighting me on this?" I ask.

"No need. You convinced me." He says in between bites.

"What did I miss? You're never this easy to convince." I reply as I start eating again.

"I'm in a good mood. I just made love to my amazing wife for the first time in months, I have a beautiful family and my life is perfect." He smiles.

"I love you." I reply.

"Not as much as I love you." He grins.

We hear the cries coming through our baby monitor and we both make our way to the nursery.

"I'm going to put some bottles in the warmer. If we're going back to work, we need to get them comfortable with not nursing."

Eric nods as he picks Tucker up, changing his diaper and checking the temperature of his bottle as I do the same with Harper. We each sit in a rocker while feeding our children.

I look down at our sleepy daughter, watching as her eyes get heavier. Her curly dark blonde hair and grey eyes are all Eric, and the shape of her lips and her nose are from me. It amazes me to see our shared features in our children. Tucker has my blue grey eyes and his hair is less curly than his sisters, more like the natural waves of mine. He shares his father's strong facial features but you can see both Eric and I in both of our children.

I glance over at Eric and see him caressing our son's head while burping him. He meets my eyes and smiles at me, and I can tell that Tucker is sleeping already on Eric's shoulder. I see that Harper has finished her bottle, so I burp her as well and we spend a few minutes rocking them before returning each to their crib. Eric and I have done this same routine so many times that we are able to almost do this in our sleep. Some nights it's almost as if we're sleep walking, but the nap that Marlene and Christina allowed us has both of us feeling much better.

Eric and I quickly finish our dinner, and put the plates in the dishwasher before going back to bed.

Eric pulls me close to him, and just when I think he's sleeping he begins talking quietly.

"There's something I need to tell you." He says from behind me. I feel myself tensing in his arms. I try to turn over but he stops me, holding my back tight against his chest and keeping his chin on my shoulder.

"What is it?" I ask quietly. I can feel his heart pounding in his chest against my back.

"I've started talking to Johanna again. The thoughts came back." He replies slowly. I can tell his choosing his words very carefully, and no matter how much I try to turn around he keeps me in place.

"What happened?" I ask.

"You know we do ongoing leadership training, and going through your fear landscape is part of it, right?" He asks and I nod. "I have two new fears."

He stops talking and I know I'm going to have to drag the rest out of him. "Let me look at you Eric." I say quietly, but firmly. He loosens his grip and I turn over to face him. He pulls me close again, holding on to me like he's afraid I'll disappear. "Hey, it's ok, tell me what happened."

"I haven't ever completely told you about my parents, and our estrangement. You only know they weren't pleased with my role in Jeanine's capture." He says and I nod. "My father is committed to his job, and not as committed to his marriage, or being a father either for that matter. He spent my entire childhood being married to his career. He would come home late and leave early, he was never home for dinner or really any meal for that matter. He missed all of our milestones, and he would just bring candy or presents once in awhile in an effort to buy our love. Material things became a substitution for his love or presence. My mother started to resent us, because not only did he practically make her a single parent, but he also had no desire to be a husband or father. But, in Erudite, especially with prominent couples like my parents, appearances are everything. So, they prentended to love each other, and pretended to be model parents as well."

He pauses and seems to be lost in thought.

"Eric..." I begin to speak but he places his finger across my lips.

"Not yet. I need to finish this." He says quietly, but firmly. "In the first sim I come home to find you in tears. The kids are asleep, and you're sitting at our dining room table in front of an untouched plate with tears streaming down your face. I think you're upset because I worked late again, so I start apologizing and you tell me to shut up. You tell me that you're sick of me never being home. You tell me how I've missed everything with Harper and Tucker, all of their firsts, even their first day of preschool that day. You tell me I'm always too busy, except when I want sex, and then you throw a pregnancy test at me. It's positive and instead of me being happy I'm angry. I ask you how you let it happen, and then you tell me you're done pretending like I'm not out fucking other women, and you're sick of our kids asking why their daddy is never home, and you refuse to raise another child with me. You tell me you want a divorce, and I don't say a fucking word. I don't even try to reason with you. I walk out the door without a second glance. I become my father."

I look at my husband's face and the pain etched there is indescribable. It's as if he's living the experience. He takes a deep breath and continues.

"In the second new fear I see Tuck and Harper, they're probably around five or six years old. They're so beautiful, Tris. They look so much like the two of us, Harper is just what I imagine you were like as a little girl. They're outside playing, maybe at a park, swinging and playing on a slide and they see someone coming towards them and they're ecstatic. They're yelling 'Daddy' and running towards me...but Tris it's not me. It's Four. They run to him, jump into his arms and call him 'Daddy'. They smother his face with kisses while he brings them over to you, and you're sitting on a blanket with a napping toddler. It's our baby, the one you were pregnant with when you left me. You see Four and you smile at him the way you always smile at me when you see me. The two of you are wearing matching wedding rings, and our tattoo on your ring finger is gone. You kiss him and the five of you cuddle on the blanket together, and you're the perfect family except you're no longer mine. Another man raises my children. Another man marries you." He says quietly. "I think the two sims go together. The first sim is me losing my family, and the second is another man stepping in to be the husband and father I'm not."

I watch as a single tear runs down his cheek and I reach up and wipe it away.

"Eric...baby...you know that it's just a sim. It's not reality." I say softly. "Nothing that you saw there would ever happen to us."

"I love you so much Tris. I love our children, and I love our life together. I don't know what's causing these thoughts to creep in. I'm so fucking afraid I'm going to lose you. It's not even a jealously issue, I don't think for a second that anything is there between you and Four, and there is absolutely no way in hell I'd ever cheat on you, or break our marriage vows or do anything that would hurt you or our kids. I just haven't been able to shake the sims, and it's made all of the self doubt that I try to keep swept away start to creep in again." He replies. "Will had to stop my sim. He didn't see what they were, but my heart rate had gotten dangerously high and he felt uncomfortable continuing."

"You did the right thing by reaching out to Johanna. Is it helping?" I ask.

"I've only spoken with her twice, the last time being today. She suggested I tell you about the sims." He replies.

"I'm glad that you did. You're having thoughts again?" I ask carefully.

"Not suicidal. Just letting negativity creep in. I worry about talking about this shit sometimes."

"Why would you worry about talking about it?" I ask.

"Because it's not fair to you. When everything is going well for us suddenly I derail again? What happens if my fucked up head ruins our marriage? What if our kids get my anxiety issues?" He rambles.

"Hey. Take a deep breath. Listen to me. I will never leave you. Eric, you are the love of my life and I know you feel the same way about me. This family is everything to us. I don't care how many times you have doubts, it will never drive me away from you. I get scared too, but every time I get anxious or stressed I look right here." I pick up my hand and push my wedding rings up to expose the tattoo under them. "This is more than just ink on skin, this is permanent, just like us. You are dealing with your anxiety the best way you know how to, and I'm so proud of you. Several years ago your way of dealing with anxiety was to try to hurt yourself, or to numb yourself with alcohol. Now, you pick up the phone and speak with Johanna. Do you see how far you've come baby? When I think about what could have happened if Max hadn't found you the first night, or if that gun hadn't jammed the second time... I just can't. You and our children are the absolute most important things in my life. Without you, we're incomplete." I reply.

"I love you. I'm so damn lucky you're mine." He says as he leans in and kisses me.

"I love you too. Eric are you sure you're ready to go back to work?" I ask.

"I want to ease back into it. We need to find a new leader and get training started. I want to have a well rounded staff, my goal is to ensure that any member of leadership is capable of stepping up and leading at a moments notice. I want to be sure that our leadership team can go home at a decent hour with their families and not have to worry about what's waiting for them. I would ideally like for our leadership to be a little more like Abnegation to be honest. The other factions may look down their noses at how large of a leadership staff they have, but to me it makes sense. The council members all get to have dinner with their families at night, and breakfast with them in the mornings. They can help with homework, and they can tuck their kids in at night. I know there will be times where the demand on us is large and after hours work will be necessary but those times should be the exception and not the norm." Eric explains.

"Would you consider letting Rayne back into leadership?" I ask.

"Not in a full capacity role, no. Look, I know she's your friend, and that she and Four are working on their marriage but I have to look past that. She willingly left her position, and her faction. While I don't believe she's a traitor, or anything of the sort, her willingness to turn her back on everything makes me leery of her trustworthiness. I'd like her to return to initiate training once she's ready to come back to work, and perhaps if we adopt more of a council type team of leadership she could have a small role, but that's as far as I'm willing to go." He replies.

"You still don't trust her." I state.

"No. I'm trying babe, for both you and Four, but there's something about her that sets me on edge." He replies.

"The prenatal paternity test already proved that Tobias is the baby's father." I retort.

"I understand that, and for their sake I'm happy for them. She still slept with another guy for months, left her husband to be with the other guy, let her husband believe the other guy was the father of her baby...and then grew a conscious? Where was this conscious when she was out fucking someone else?" Eric asks angrily.

"Hey, calm down please. I didn't mean to upset you." I reply as I rub my hands down his back.

"I'm sorry, I'm not upset with you. I just hope she's sincere with her feelings." He replies through a yawn. "How is it we always have our best conversations in bed?"

"We really do. We do a _lot_ of amazing things in this bed." I reply and I feel Eric shift next to me. "Maybe we should get some sleep while we can." I tease.

"Or, maybe we should do something else..." He offers as he lifts the hem of his tshirt up and over my head.

"Convince me." I reply playfully.

It certainly didn't take much convincing before we were lost in each other once again.


	31. Explosions In The Sky Part 1

**AN: I appreciate everyone's patience with me while I work on this story. I lost all of my notes, unedited chapters and outline for this story when my laptop crashed a little while back. I've been frustrated, because even though I know exactly what direction this story was going, I still lost everything I'd written, and it was a lot. Recreating the dialogue, situations, etc. isn't easy, especially when I'm wracking my brain trying to remember bits and pieces of chapters I'd already finished. So thank you for being awesome while I struggle through recreating this story. I'll try really hard to get back on a regular update schedule for it.**

Chapter 31: Explosions in the Sky

Tris POV

I try to concentrate on the mountain of paperwork on my desk but my thoughts keep drifting back to the latest argument that Eric and I had. This morning was the worst one yet, with our yelling waking up the babies and the slamming of the front door causing the twins to both scream in terror. It took me almost forty-five minutes to settle them down and get them ready to go to Max and Dana's. Once we got there Dana took one look at my swollen, red eyes and ushered me into their living room, sending Max off to entertain the babies.

Eric and I made it through sleepless nights, lack of intimacy and overall exhaustion without once losing our faith in each other or our marriage. The babies finally started sleeping through the night and we had settled into a great routine when the unthinkable happened: Eric accused me of sleeping with one of our newest leaders in training, and what made the accusation even more preposterous was the person I am allegedly carrying on my affair with is Peter Hayes. Even though the accusation was painful, we almost could have moved past it if it was one of the many things we've said to each other due to pure exhaustion, but it wasn't. I don't even know how the idea got rooted into Eric's mind, and during our many shouting matches all he's said was that someone had claimed to witness some illicit act between Peter and myself. To say I was completely floored would be an understatement, not only would I _never_ cheat on my husband, but there has been nothing outside of a professional relationship between Peter and me.

I will admit, I was one of Peter's fiercest supporters when his name was thrown in to become a member of the leadership council we were trying to implement. He'd come so far from the nasty bully he was during our initiation, and even from the cruel young man he'd become after learning of my marriage to Eric. He's matured, becoming one of our best patrol leaders where he'd earned the respect of not only his own squad but also the entire patrol unit. My only question of his competence would be in his choice of a wife, but I wasn't the only one perplexed when he and Syl eloped two months ago. Even though the two had been dating for quite awhile, she still had the reputation of sleeping around, even while with Peter, and he's not someone who is known for putting up with any type of disrespect. He seems content with his marriage, so truly that's what really matters, and for his sake the rest of leadership has been civil to his wife.

Unfortunately, Eric's accusations made me think the worst, and I accused him of deflecting his own infidelity onto me. What other reason would my normally level headed husband start accusing me of breaking our marriage vows if he wasn't doing it himself? For the past week and a half we've barely been able to tolerate each other, and this morning our anger boiled over into a heated shouting match, with both of us saying things we shouldn't have.

"Hey, you busy?" I glance up to see purple hair and beautiful mocha skin. Chris shakes a brown paper bag at me. "I have fries." She grins.

"I'm never too busy for fries. Come on in." I reply and she bounds in and plops in the chair in front of my desk. I spread some napkins on my desk and Chris empties the bag of fries, and sprinkles some packets of salt on them.

"Did you bring ketchup this time?" I ask as I grab a fry and start munching.

"Hell no. Ketchup is disgusting." She replies, scrunching up her nose and making a face.

"You are so weird." I reply as I dig through my desk drawers until I find a couple of packets.

Chris and I eat fries and keep the conversation light, sharing war stories about our children. Finally, she acknowledges the elephant in the room and cautiously brings up Eric.

"Has it gotten any better?" She asks.

"No. Today was the worst fight yet." I reply with a sigh.

"What happened?"

I take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. I absentmindedly drag the same fry through ketchup and make designs on the paper bag with it.

"I don't know where we went wrong." I sigh. "He is convinced I am sleeping with Peter."

"Why does he think that?" Chris asks with her jaw gaping open.

"He doesn't really talk to me, we he just yells and accuses. The most I've gotten from him is that someone told him they'd witnessed something inappropriate between Peter and me." I reply.

"Tris, _is_ there anything going on?" She asks.

"God no! Chris, why would you even ask me that?" I almost shout.

"Tris, I'm sorry I just needed to know." She shrugs. "Its way out of left field though. Did anything lead up to this?"

"No, if anything things had started to settle down. Tucker and Harper are sleeping through the night now, and we'd gotten back into a routine. I know we hadn't had the time or energy for sex in awhile, but just because we haven't slept together doesn't mean I'm getting it elsewhere."

"It also doesn't mean that _he_ is getting it elsewhere either." She argues.

"I didn't say he was..." I argue weakly.

"You didn't have to say anything, it's written all over your face. Do you think he's cheating?" She asks.

"No. Maybe. I don't know. Don't people say that if someone is suddenly accusatory and unreasonable that it usually means they are the ones hiding something?" I ask.

"Yeah people do say that, but it doesn't apply to the two of you. Eric and you are so in love that it makes the rest of us look bad. I really think you need to find out who is spreading these rumors about you." Chris replies.

"I'd need to get my husband to actually have a conversation with me instead of yelling at me." I retort.

"Well, yeah, that would be helpful. Have you tried talking to Peter?" She asks.

"No, it's so embarrassing to even bring up. He and I may get along now, but it's not like we're in the habit of having heart to heart talks." I reply with an eye roll.

"Well, nows a good time to start. Eric and Will are gone all day for that stupid interfaction demonstration meeting, so why don't you get Peter in here?" She asks.

"First, that demonstration meeting isn't stupid. I was supposed to go with Eric since we are the leaders with the most seniority, but he decided he couldn't stand to be around me so he took Will instead. Second, being alone with Peter while Eric's away will just add more fuel to the fire." I explain.

"You won't be alone, I'll stay. I'm off today anyway. Come on." She replies.

"Fine." I relent. I dial Peter's extension and he picks up immediately. I ask him to come to my office and he agrees. Chris and I sit together and wait for his arrival. He knocks gently on the door and I invite him in, gesturing for him to have a seat next to Christina.

"I scored an invite for girl talk, I'm flattered." He chuckles. Chris throws a fry at him that he catches with his mouth. "Needs ketchup."

"Ketchup is disgusting." Chris replies.

"You are weird." Peter retorts. "So, what's up? I'm more than happy to eat fries and gossip, but I have a feeling that's not what you called me in here for."

"You're right, although there apparently is some gossip that the two of us are the subject of." I begin. His dark green eyes dart to mine and the smile he previously wore is gone.

"You've heard it too?" He asks.

"Heard what?"

He runs his hand over his wavy dark hair and sighs. "Apparently someone is accusing you and me of having an affair." He says slowly.

"Who told you?" I ask.

"My wife. She was livid!" He replies. "I take it someone's told you as well."

"Yeah, my husband." I reply.

"Fuck. How has he not kicked my ass yet?" Peter asks with a gulp.

"I'm hoping that deep down inside he knows it's not possibly true." I sigh. "Peter, how did something like this even get started?"

"I have no idea. Syl told me that Eric is who told her. Apparently he even said he'd personally witnessed something inappropriate between us." Peter replies.

"Wait a minute, isn't that what Eric said to you Tris? That someone had told him _they_ had witnessed something between the two of you?" Chris asks.

"Yes. Peter, there's no way that Eric would have told Syl that. If he witnessed something between us, neither of us would be here right now having a conversation about it. He would have already confronted both of us. Eric told me that someone, and he's yet to tell me who, anyway that someone witnessed something between you and me." I explain.

"Peter, would Syl lie to you about something like this?" Chris asks carefully.

"It wouldn't surprise me. Things have been shaky since we got married. There's been a lot of rumors about her infidelities, which I've tried to ignore and give her the benefit of the doubt on, but when she accused me of cheating during a conversation we were having about _her_ cheating I knew it was a deflection. She left me." He shrugs.

"Oh Peter, I'm sorry." I begin and he shakes his head at me.

"Don't be. You and I both know that whoever is starting these rumors is trying to cover up their own issues. Considering that between our two marriages, one is strong as hell and the other one is built on lies and mistrust I'd imagine that Syl probably started the rumor herself. If I had of known that she told anyone besides me, I surely would have said something by now. Eric doesn't believe any of it though, right?"

"Unfortunately, yes. We've both been under a lot of stress between work and getting the twins on a sleep schedule..." I stop talking because I'm completely unsure how to even justify how Eric could believe that I would cheat on him.

"I can talk to him Tris. I'll let him know that Syl and I are going through some issues and that I believe she started this rumor to take the spotlight off of herself." Peter offers.

"That's a good idea Tris." Chris agrees.

"Yeah, that might work, although you may need to take a third party in for backup. We all know how my husband's temper can be." I reply.

"Take Four. He's the only person besides Tris that can handle Eric when he gets hostile." Chris says and I nod my head.

"Not a bad idea. I'm pretty sure that Four has already heard the rumor himself from Eric." I reply.

The three of us are interrupted by an urgent knock on my door. Before I could even acknowledge the visitor, my door is thrown open and Four bursts in.

"Good, you're all here. You need to come with me." Four says in a clipped tone.

"Wait just a second number boy, we're having girl time. You don't get to just burst in here and..."

Four interrupts Christina and pulls her up by her arm. "You and Tris need to come with me right now."

"What's going on Four?" I ask nervously.

"There was an incident." He answers vaguely as he throws my jacket at me. "Hayes, go get Uriah and Jasper. Find Zeke if you can. Meet me at the weapons room. Hurry."

"Will do." Peter says as he hurries away.

"Tobias, what is going on?" I ask as he shoves my jacket over my arms and physically pulls both Chris and me out of my office and towards the weapons room. He says nothing as we briskly walk down the cooridors.

As we approach the weapons room I see Max, Tori, Bud, Harrison, Al, Riot and a few others I don't recognize waiting by the door. I immediately approach Max.

"Why are you here? Who's watching our children?" I ask. Christina stands next to me clutching my hand in hers.

"Dana, Marlene and Shauna are with the kids. They have the twins, Zach and Ava with them." Max answers calmly.

I feel someone grasp my other hand and look over and see Rayne. "They've got Carson too." She says, mentioning her and Four's son. "Your mom is on her way here too, she'll help them with the kids."

"What's going on?" Chris asks.

"Please tell me." I add. I can feel tears building but I won't let them fall.

I see Peter approaching with Jasper, Uriah, Zeke and Dillon. Four calls out to the group.

"Everyone inside." He walks through the door to the weapons room and once our group has all entered he addresses us. "There has been a bombing at the Hub, the building has partially collapsed and there have been small explosions still going off. We have troops already on their way there, and we are going as an extraction team. Our bomb squad is already onsite, and we need to help find survivors and also extract any bodies we find. I need you all geared up in full explosion gear, and get weapons and ammo too."

"A bomb? Was the meeting still in session?" Christina yells.

"Yes. Everyone was still inside. This was a targeted attack on the senior faction leaders." Four answers, meeting my eyes for the first time. "We have no information on survivors or casualties yet. Please get geared up as quickly as possible."

Christina bursts into tears next to me and I watch as Max quickly embraces the hysterical girl. I feel like I should be comforting my best friend but it's almost as if I am watching this entire scene play out through someone else's eyes. I'm vaguely aware of the small crowd parting as someone walks through it, then I am taken into strong arms and held tightly. It's only then that I realize I am sobbing.

"No matter what we find out there you're going to make it through it Tris. You are the strongest person I've ever known. Get it out now, because once we are in those trucks I need the soldier in you." Tobias says to me, his mouth is next to my ear and he continues whispering encouragements to me.

I hear him giving orders over my shoulder, and he never takes his hands off of me. All I can think of is my husband, and the terrible things we said to each other this morning before he left.

"We had a fight, a terrible one, oh my god Tobias I never even said goodbye." I sob into his shoulder.

"Stop that." He commands. "All right Tris, that's it. I need my soldier now. Let's go." He's speaking to me in his leader voice and I push my emotions aside as I begin to gear up.

We are ushered into the many armored trucks we use for attack situations, I end up seated in between Christina and Peter. Chris and I clutch each other's hands while we both try to fight the steady stream of tears that keep falling down our faces. I feel someone squeeze my other hand and I see Peter looking over at me with a soft expression.

"You've got this Tris. And if for any second you don't, I'll be there." He says close to my ear, having to almost shout to be heard over the loud rumbling of the truck. I squeeze his hand and I feel Chris leaning her head on my shoulder. I lean my head on hers and we continue our ride in silence.

The truck slows to a stop and the doors are thrown open. "Everyone out!" Harrison calls out and we quickly begin filing out. The scene in front of us is horrific, the Hub is mostly rubble, with only parts of the structure still standing. There are small fires that are being extinguished by Amity water trucks, and I watch as soldiers with dogs climb over piles of rubble.

"I thought the bomb squad already cleared the site." I say to Peter.

"Those are dogs trained to find bodies." He replies grimly. "Come on, lets go to where they're taking the survivors and check in."

I numbly follow Peter to another building, thankful for his presence and clear mind. We check in with two junior leaders from Candor.

"You're here, that's great, we need all the help we can get." A leader I recognize named Julia remarks.

"Do you have a list compiled of survivors?" Peter asks.

"We do, and victims too. I assume you are looking for your family Tris." She replies in her matter of fact tone.

"Yes. My father, my husband... oh god my sister in law... I don't even know if my brother was here..." I choke out.

She checks her tablet. "So far we have not found Eric Coulter, Andrew Prior or Caleb Prior. Cara Prior has been found and she's already been taken to the hospital in Erudite. She's in surgery according to the last update."

"Johanna? Was she here?" I ask.

"Yes and she's also unaccounted for." Julia replies. "I'm checking you both in as onsite. Here are your communication devices. If you find a survivor, or a body, alert the team and help will be dispatched based on your gps location. If you're able to provide an identity, do so over the comms device. It'll help us keep better track here at central. Be safe out there." She replies before moving on to the next in line.

"Maybe you should stay in here and help with the survivors." Peter says and I shake my head.

"My family is out there somewhere. I'm going." I begin jogging towards the rubble with Peter on my heels.

"Wait!" Someone shouts from behind and Max jogs up to us with Christina in tow. "We stay together, the four of us. Do not separate from each other." He looks sharply at Peter. "You are responsible for her. I am trusting you with my daughter, she is the mother of my grandchildren. You look out for her, you protect her and you keep her safe Hayes. Understand?"

"Yes sir." Peter replies.

"I will take care of Christina. You don't worry about her. The four of us will try to stay together, but if we are separated you stay with Peter, and Christina you stay with me. Understood?" Max commands and we all nod. Max comes to me and takes my chin in his hand, tilting my face towards his. "Whatever happens today you will survive this. I love you." I throw my arms around him and he pulls me close. "I will find my son." He whispers close to my ear and I cry harder against him. We break apart and head towards the rubble.

Peter and I begin walking over the rubble, calling out and listening carefully for any signs of life. We comb over the debris carefully, trying our best not to cause further damage. Peter grabs my arm and pulls me to a stop.

"Listen." He whispers. We are quiet, aware of the sounds of our hearts pounding, but nothing else. I hear a faint cough. "That."

We both begin crawling to where we believe the cough is coming from. "Hello, who's out there? We can hear you, but you have to make more noise." Peter calls out.

"Here." A faint voice calls from beside me. I immediately crawl over and begin moving some of the smaller rocks.

"I can hear you, please hang on." I call out. "We have a survivor." I call into my communication device.

"We will be right over. Be careful to not move too much, it can cause a rockslide." A strong female voice answers.

"Tris." The voice rasps out.

"Yes, I'm here. Who are you?" I ask.

"Jack. Kang." He answers slowly.

"Jack we are right here. Help is coming. Where are you hurt?" I ask as Peter carefully makes me way next to me.

"Head. Legs. Body." Jack replies.

"Jack, is there anyone down there with you?" Peter asks.

"Yes. Not sure who. I can hear wheezing and cries." He answers weakly.

"Hang in there Jack, we will get you out of there." I reply. We are soon joined by a larger extraction team, and I recognize Lynn and Uriah immediately. I wave them closer.

"We have Jack Kang down here. He is awake and alert. He says there are others with him, but he's not sure who. He can hear their noises."

Our team begins digging carefully, doing our best to remove rubble and rocks without disturbing the overall structure. It takes awhile, but finally I am able to see Jack.

"Hey, we're almost there Jack. You hang on. Here, please drink something." I say as I pass my canteen to him. He takes a long sip before passing it back.

"Thank you." He says.

I can see he has a head injury, and his eyes are going in and out of focus. "Jack, I need you to talk to me. Tell me anything. You absolutely cannot go to sleep right now." I command. I see brief recognition in his eyes.

"My son is choosing Dauntless. We got into a heated argument about it this morning. I don't want the last thing we say to each other be words of anger." He replies.

"Tell me about your son." I reply as we continue to move the rubble around him.

"His name is Jackson. He's named after me. He's extremely brave, and if I'm being honest I've always known he'd choose Dauntless."

"When are you not honest Jack?" I ask with a smile and I hear a wet chuckle come from Jack.

"How fitting. He will be an asset to Dauntless. I was selfish and wanted him to stay. You want to keep your children safe, as I'm sure you know." He replies.

"Indeed I do. Our twins have started to crawl. We've had to babyproof on top of babyproof." I reply.

"Eric told me. Your children are beautiful. They look so much like the two of you." Jack replies before he breaks out in another coughing fit. I notice he is coughing up blood and Peter and I exchange a glance.

"Do you know where Eric is?" I ask. Jack's tired eyes meet mine.

"He was still towards the front of the room. I believe he was with your father and Miles when the explosion happened."

"We can move him now. Jack, we are bringing a backboard down. We're going to dig you out and move you to it, ok?" Lynn calls out and Jack nods.

Peter, Uriah and Lynn along with several Dauntless and Erudite begin their descent. Once they've cleared enough space for Jack to be moved, they carefully transport him to the backboard and strap him down. We begin passing him up to the surface and he grabs my hand before they take him away.

"Thank you." He says and I squeeze his hand.

"I'll see you soon." I reply and they take him away.

"We have more down here." Uriah calls up.

Our comms device crackles and Tobias' voice rings out. "We have one survivor and one body. Survivor is Johanna Reyes, body is Ethan Black."

"Four, how is Johanna?" I ask over the comms.

"Awake and alert." He replies quickly.

I say a silent thank you for that, but I also think of Susan and Robert losing their father. My heart breaks for them.

"We have two bodies." Uriah calls out. "Max, a moment please."

We watch as Max approaches Uriah and they have a whispered conversation. Max turns to me briefly and then signals Peter over. He looks at me and commands me not to move before he carefully makes his way over to the men. Christina and I cling to each other as we watch Max and Peter make their way back to us.

"Why haven't they made the announcement?" I ask.

"The bodies are Will and Caleb." Max says softly and Christina collapses next to me.

"No. Check again. Do they have a pulse? Jack heard them. They were alive Max!" I scream. I fall down next to Christina and embrace her. She violently shoves me away from her.

"He was only here because you and Eric were fighting! He wasn't supposed to be here! This is all your fault!" Christina screams and lunges towards me, causing Max and Peter to restrain her. "This is because of you! You killed my husband! You did this!"

I hear Uriah make the announcement over the comms device and I watch as Max and Peter take a screaming Christina away from the scene. I'm engulfed in strong arms and I turn to find Tobias sitting with me holding me close. I lean my head into the crook of his neck and cry for my brother and my friend.

"We have three bodies." Tori's voice calls out over the communications device.

"This is central, can the bodies be identified?"

"Miles Fordham, and we need to hold off on the other identies." I hear Harrison's voice come through the comms device.

"This is Central. Are they unidentifiable?"

"We need a few minutes Central." Harrison calls out gruffly over the comms.

"Tobias, what's going on?" I ask. We watch as Tori slowly approaches us.

"Tris..." She begins but I see the tears in her eyes.

"No. Please." I beg and she shakes her head.

"I'm so sorry, the other bodies are Eric and Andrew." Tori finally says through tears.

"NO!" I scream, struggling violently against Tobias. "NO! NO! You are lying to me!" I break down in hysterics and Tobias holds me as close as he can, his own body shaking with sobs.

"You can't make that announcement without telling Max." Four says through tears.

"Harrison already did. He's about to make the announcement now. I'm so sorry Tris."

"No...no...no..." I repeat as I cry against Tobias.

"The two remaining bodies are of Andrew Prior and Eric Coulter." Harrison's weary voice calls out over the comms device. I feel another set of arms around me and find it's Uriah. He's holding on to both Tobias and me as our bodies are wracked with sobs.

"I need to see them." I say.

"Tris, that's not a good idea. They were close to the explosion." Tori replies softly.

"My husband... I need to see him!" I scream.

Uriah helps Tobias and I stand, and the three of us walk towards Harrison's gps location hand in hand.

"Central, send a backboard, we have a survivor. I repeat we have a pulse." Harrison calls out over the comms device.

"This is Central, we copy. Who is your survivor?"

"Eric Coulter. Hurry, he's seriously injured, but he's been given CPR and we have a pulse." Harrison calls out.

Tobias boosts me onto his back and begins to sprint towards Harrison. We see Max leaning over Eric, and Harrison on his other side.

"Eric!" I yell out and Max turns towards me.

"He's unconscious but he's breathing." Max says as he continues to check Eric's vitals.

His face is covered in cuts and bruises, with several pieces of shrapnel embedded in his skin. His clothes are bloody and tattered. I begin looking for injuries, and while he does have a great deal of shrapnel there's much more blood on Eric than his injuries dictate.

"Why is he covered in so much blood?" I ask as I gently run my fingers through his hair.

"It's from your father." Harrison says softly. "He had thrown himself over Eric and he absorbed the majority of the explosion. Your father saved his life."

"Oh my god." I break down in hysterical tears as Tobias holds me and rocks me gently. I'm faintly aware of being lowered to the ground, and Tobias and I cling to each other as we each put a hand on Eric. Within minutes they have him strapped to a backboard and they are carrying him through the rubble towards a waiting ambulance. I realize that Tobias is once again carrying me. They load Eric onto the ambulance and several paramedics surround him and begin working on him.

"There's a car that will follow us to the hospital." One calls out and points towards the dark blue Erudite car. Max, Tobias and I get inside and we are soon whisked away.

My father protected my husband, and my father in law gave him cpr to bring him back. I sit in between Tobias and Max, clutching their hands in mine as we ride to the hospital.

"I lost my father and brother today." I say through my tears.

"I know sweetheart, I know." Max says as he kisses the top of my head. "I'm so sorry."

"I can't lose him too. I won't survive this." I croak.

"He's not going to leave you Tris, and he won't leave Harper and Tucker. You stay strong." Max replies. He pulls his phone out and begins making phone calls and I lean my head on Tobias.

"Max is right, he won't leave you." He whispers.

"He thinks I am cheating on him." I sob.

"I know, and I talked to him after the fight you two had this morning. He realizes he was being a complete idiot. Syl started the rumor Tris, she wants Eric back."

"How do you know?" I ask.

"She propositioned Eric in his office after your fight. He was irate and threw her out, and he immediately came to me." He replies.

"We were so hateful to each other. If we hadn't of fought Will wouldn't be dead." I cry.

"Tris, Eric tried to get me to go to the meeting. I didn't want to go so I suggested he take Will instead. I thought it would keep the peace since Will is the next in seniority. I'm just as much to blame."

"Nonsense. Neither of you are to blame. Will could have easily said no, he wanted to go. Will was a great Dauntless soldier, and he took pride in representing his faction. Do not think for a minute that he was forced to go today." Max says sternly.

"We have arrived." The driver announces and we are quickly ushered inside the hospital and directed to a waiting room.

"Hi, I'm Norma, I'm a volunteer here at the hospital. I wanted to let you know that Mr. Coulter was taken directly to surgery. He has some internal bleeding that needed to be addressed. The doctor will be in as soon as possible to give you all updates. If you need anything at all, I will be right at this desk." She points to the desk in the center of the room.

"Thank you." I reply automatically and I'm led to a chair. Max and Tobias sit on either side of me and we try to think of anything other than the grave situation we are now faced with.


	32. Explosions In The Sky Part 2

Chapter 32: Explosions In The Sky Part 2

Tris POV

"Mrs. Coulter, your husband was brought in with grave injuries, including a lacerated liver and spleen, a severed spinal cord and a traumatic brain injury. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to save him…"

"NO!" I scream as I flail and kick against Tobias and Max.

"We are so sorry for your loss Mrs. Coulter."

"Stop saying that!" I scream. "Oh my god, our babies are never going to know their father…."

"…she's not coming out of it…"

"Tris, can you hear me…?"

"Stop it completely!"

"…had you and your husband discussed organ donation? Obviously, some of his organs aren't viable for donation, however his heart, lungs, eyes..."

"Get the fuck away from me! Get her away from me Max, Tobias, someone get her the fuck away from me before I fucking kill her!"

"Please leave us be. You just told me my son is dead. Her husband. His brother. The father of two beautiful children. Please don't ask us about his organs right now." Max replies through tears.

"I'm so sorry for your loss Mrs. Coulter. I'm sorry for you all. Is there anything you need?"

"I need you to bring my husband back! I need the father of my children. I need my best friend, my confidant, my lover he's my everything. Why?" I scream. I feel Tobias pull me close to him and I bury my face in his chest, sobbing so hard I can barely breathe.

"Shh, Tris, breathe for me..." Tobias says through his own tears.

"He can't be gone..."

"...why is she still down?"

"I need to see him. I need to see my husband." My screams are muffled by Tobias chest as he holds me as tightly as possible without hurting me.

"Tris, focus on me. We're trying to get you out of this. I need you to focus on me. It's not real…."

"What isn't real?" I ask Tobias.

"Tris, you have to wake up." He replies. Except it's not Tobias that answers. I open my eyes and focus on the man holding me tightly to his chest. His brow is furrowed and his grey eyes are unable to mask his concern.

"Hey sweetheart, just take a few deep breaths. Will ended the sim and you're not going back in there. We're just going to skip over this part of your ongoing leadership training." Eric says softly. He removes the leads from my temples and brushes his hand over my head, pushing my hair off of my sweaty forehead.

"You're alive. Will's here? My dad? Caleb?" I rasp.

"Tris, everyone's fine. You were just in your fear landscape, don't you remember coming up here this morning? You administered Four's just before you went under." Eric replies.

"What, how?" I sit up slowly and embrace my husband. He holds me tightly against him and I bury my face in his shoulder.

"Hey, it's ok, deep breaths baby. This is the new serum, remember? It was the same stuff that Will had to stop my landscape on before, and it was rough for Four as well. Will's been the only one who's had no issues with it, and Uri has yet to go through it, so I think this serum doesn't react as expected for divergents. Peter's supposed to go through it next, and he's not divergent so if he can make it without issues it may prove my theory." Eric replies.

"You saw it, right?" I ask.

"I did, and none of it was real. What happened to birds and water tanks? Now you're afraid I think you're cheating on me, and losing everyone you love in the worst possible way. That was awful babe."

"I'm so glad you're here. Eric, you have no idea." I begin crying hard again and he holds me tighter against his chest.

"I'm going to give you two some privacy." Will says quietly before exiting the room.

"They said you were dead. Twice Eric. All I could think about was our kids never getting the chance to know you, and them not knowing what an incredible father you are...oh my god Eric it was awful. I can't do that again. If it means I'm not a leader anymore then so be it. I can't do that, I can't lose you like that ever again..."

"Shh, I know, it wasn't real, none of it." Eric is talking softly and rubbing soothing circles on my back. "Do you really think I'd accuse you of sleeping with Peter Hayes? That should have been a dead giveaway right there babe." He chuckles and I can't help but laugh with him.

"Shut up. You saw it, everything looked and felt so real. Oh my god, did anyone else see it?" I ask.

"No, just me, Will was monitoring your stats only and I was the only one monitoring the actual landscape." Eric replies. He begins massaging my shoulders and I feel like I'm melting against him.

"I've never been in a fear landscape that was so detailed and realistic. I've always been aware, even non divergents are supposed to be aware. I don't understand." I ramble.

"There's something in this serum that causes the divergent mind to block awareness. Will's was nothing like ours have been. We had to stop Four's on his first fear. He also was unaware he was in a Sim. So the three divergent leaders who've taken the serum were all put through pretty horrific sims, and the one non divergent leader had a normal, albeit difficult fear landscape to navigate." Eric explains.

"I don't think we should put Uri through it. Peter's not divergent, so his should be pretty normal and would help prove the theory." I reply.

"Agreed. We will have Four administer Peter's and Uri can monitor his vitals." He answers.

"Eric, I think I just want to pick the kids up and go home. I'm sorry, I know it was just a sim but it felt so damn real."

"Let's do that. The others can hold the fort down. Come on babe, let's go get our littles." He presses a kiss to my forehead before leading me out of the fear landscape room.

I feel shakier and shakier the further we get away from the sim room. Eric is talking beside me, but he sounds so far away and I just am trying to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.

"Tris?" Eric says as he places his hands on my arms to stop me from walking. He gently turns me so we are face to face. "Babe, you're scaring me." He says as he gently pulls me to his body.

"You were dead. My dad. My brother. Will. You all died. Christina hated me." I say as tears spill down my cheeks.

"I'm right here. Honey it was just a sim, I know it was awful believe me I watched it, but it's over now. I'm here, your dad and brother are fine, Will is fine. I'm sure when you see Chris she will be perfectly fine. I don't know what caused the strange reactions with us all but we are _not_ using that serum again, not even for non divergents, I'm not putting Hayes through it either." Eric wipes away my tears as he talks.

Once I've calmed down we make our way to Max and Dana's, both surprised to see us so early. The babies were napping, so we accepted the invite to come in and stay for lunch.

Max takes notice of my red eyes and nervous demeanor. He glances over at Eric before speaking. "Son, do you mind helping Dana in the kitchen?"

"Sure." Eric replies. He kisses my forehead before slipping from the room. Max moves so he's sitting next to me.

"What's wrong?" He asks quietly.

"Really horrible fear sim." I reply shakily.

"What happened? You usually have no issues with your sims." Max asks.

"New serum, it seems to cause horrible reactions for Divergents. Will has been the only one who hasn't had a bad sim. Eric, Four and I all reacted terribly to it." I explain.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asks.

"The incredibly short version is there was a bombing at an interfaction leadership meeting. It killed my father, brother, Will and Eric. You gave Eric CPR onsite, just for him to not make it through surgery. My husband died and the last thing we had said to each other were words of anger and a slamming door was our goodbye. They had to wake me up from the sim, I had no idea it wasn't real." I recall, feeling some tears slip down my cheeks.

"Damn." Max murmurs. "This is the same fear serum that put Eric back into regular therapy with Johanna."

"Yeah, one in the same." I sigh.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told him, and that is it's a sim and not a glimpse into the future. It's designed to take a deep seeded fear and twist it into something symbolic. It's not reality."

"I know. It just shook me up." I reply. Max pulls me close and gives me a hug and the tears I keep fighting come out. He's embracing me when Dana calls out that lunch is ready.

"Want me to send Eric in?" He whispers and I shake my head. We sit together on his couch for a few minutes while I try to calm down, and before long my Eric has come back into the room.

I feel the couch dip next to me and soon the warm and strong arms of my husband have surrounded me. I feel Max plant a kiss on the top of my head before slipping out of the room.

"Babe, what can I do?" He asks quietly. I shake my head against him and he squeezes me tighter. "Never again, ok? I'll take the fear sims out of the ongoing leadership curriculum. I don't give a fuck, I'm not going to have you or anyone else get tortured by some bullshit serum."

"We will talk about it when we're less emotional, ok?" I reply quietly.

We sit together quietly until we hear noise from the baby monitor. Eric turns the volume up and soon we hear the chatter of our children.

"Dadadadadadadada"

Eric looks over at me and grins. I shake my head at him.

"I told you they could say Dada." He smiles proudly.

"I know they can. I wish they would say Mama too."

"They will soon. Don't be jealous that our children worship me." Eric replies with a cocky grin as he pulls me off the couch.

We make our way back to the bedroom Max and Dana have set up for the twins and find Tucker has pulled himself up and is standing in his crib.

"Dadadadadada." He calls out once he sees Eric walk into the room.

"Hey buddy." Eric says as he scoops our son up in his arms. He works on changing his diaper as I pick Harper up. She coos and smiles at me as I change her diaper as well.

"I can't believe he's pulling himself up. They're not even quite eight months yet. He's going to be an early walker, I can feel it." I say as I work to get a diaper on our wiggling daughter.

"They both are, our children are phenomenal, like their parents." He replies as he puts Tucker on his hip and kisses my cheek.

"Hopefully they get your confidence too." I grin as I pick Harper up and we head into the dining area to join Dana and Max. They have thoughtfully already gotten some baby food out for us to feed the kids.

"A true family lunch." Dana smiles as Tucker reaches for her. She puts him in his high chair as I do the same for Harper. Eric and I get their bibs on as Max and Dana go into action with feeding them. I smile at the scene in front of us, it's obvious how much the twins love their grandparents and vice versa.

We spend the rest of the afternoon with Max and Dana, and Eric and I have been sprawled on the floor playing with our children for most of it. As much as I've enjoyed the time with our family, I'm still on edge and Eric can feel it.

"How would you all feel about getting out of Dauntless for a little while?" Eric asks. Dana looks at Max, who is nodding and smiling.

"What do you have in mind?" Dana asks.

"I've been texting back and forth with my father in law, how does a family dinner in Abnegation sound?" Eric asks and I can feel the grin on my face.

"Wonderful." I say.

"I'd like that." Max agrees. "Why don't you two go pack extras for the kids and Dana and I will get them ready to go."

We kiss the twins goodbye and head back to our apartment. Eric's grip on my hand is comforting as we walk down the hallway.

"Tris, are you really ok?" He asks me quietly as I unlock our door and push it open.

"I think I will be. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that sim. It was just awful and nothing I've ever experienced. I've never felt so rattled by a sim before, it almost makes me feel like a lesser leader." I reply as we head to grab extra outfits and food for the twins.

"Babe, you are not a lesser leader. My sim put me back into therapy, what does that say about me?" He asks with his eyebrows raised.

"Nothing, you are an amazing leader, the sim just didn't react properly with you." I reply. I see the smug smile on his face. "Fine, point taken."

"You are a great leader Tris, and a phenomenal wife and mother. Do not for one second doubt yourself, please." He replies. He tucks some of my hair behind my ears and presses a kiss to my forehead.

"Maybe I'll tag along the next time you go to see Johanna." I say quietly.

Eric smiles at me. "Yeah. I'd like that."

The ride to Abnegation is smooth since we are in Max's large SUV. The twins are buckled safely in their car seats, jabbering away in a language that only they understand. Eric and I are in the seats in the row behind them, where I'm nestled comfortably against his firm chest. He absentmindedly plays with my hair as he carries on a conversation with Max, and Dana concentrates on driving.

The next thing I know I'm being gently shaken, I open my eyes and see my husband smiling down at me. "We're here babe. Max and Dana already got the kids inside with your parents, I'd let you sleep a little longer but dinner is ready." He says softly.

"Thank you, I needed that." I reply sleepily. He presses a soft kiss to my forehead and I tilt my head back and capture his lips with mine.

We kiss slowly and deeply, taking the time to let our tongues dance together. Eric runs a hand through my hair and I lightly scratch my nails across his scalp through his longer than normal curls.

"We should go in before we get carried away." I smile up at him and he nods.

We make our way into the house and I'm shocked to find Caleb and Cara there too. I throw my arms around my sister in law, and I immediately feel a small bump on her belly. I pull away and look at her and she simply smiles and puts her finger across her mouth in a 'be quiet' gesture. I grin at her in return.

"Nice of you to join us, sleeping beauty." Caleb smirks as he hugs me tightly and kisses my forehead. I smack his shoulder and give him a glare.

I look over at my parents and find them each with a baby in their lap, looking thrilled. Eric makes his way over and kisses my mom and shakes my dads hand, and I come over and kiss both of my parents.

"What can I help with?" I ask.

"If you wouldn't mind setting the table, then we'll be ready to eat." My mom says and I head to the kitchen. I'm quickly joined by my husband, who kisses the top of my head as he reaches over me to grab the bowls.

"Thank you." I grin and he sneaks a quick peck on the lips before following me to the table with silverware. We get everything ready for the stew and soon we've all gathered around and are eating.

"Natalie, this is so good!" Dana says and I see Max nod his head. "I'll need the recipe."

"I was hoping you'd all like it, I've been experimenting more with spices and found that there are a few we quite enjoy." My mother replies. I glance over at Caleb and Eric and both are dipping their bread into their bowls to get every last drop.

"I'd say it was a success." I remark, nodding my head at the two men and getting laughs from Cara, my parents and my in laws.

"What?" Caleb asks around a mouth full of bread.

"Don't talk with your mouth full! Are you going to teach our child those bad habits?" Cara laughs and then turns red realizing what she said. My moms eyes light up and she smiles over at Cara.

"Is there something you'd like to tell us?" She asks expectantly. I can almost feel her excitement even with Tucker sitting between us. I glance over at my dad, and even though he's concentrating on feeding Harper some stew I can tell he's excited as well.

"You're going to be grandparents again, we're pregnant." Caleb says with a huge smile. We all take turns congratulating the happy couple, and then laugh when Harper starts clapping.

"Congrats you guys. That's great news. I'm sure Harper and Tucker will love getting a cousin." Eric says.

"How far along are you dear?" My mom asks.

"Almost sixteen weeks. We wanted to be fully past the first trimester before announcing it." She smiles.

"Are you going to find out what you're having?" Dana asks.

"We already know. The testing at Erudite can tell you from very early on. We're having a boy." Caleb answers with a smile.

"Poor Harper is getting outnumbered." I grin and Harper starts clapping again at hearing her name.

"Ava and Harper both have every uncle, grandfather and especially their fathers wrapped around their little fingers. Isn't that right princess?" Eric says.

"Mama." Harper answers.

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaim. Eric grins at me and wraps his arm around my shoulder.

"Harper is that your mama?" My dad asks and she turns to face me again.

"Mamamamama" She chants with a smile.

"Mamamamamamamamama" Tucker answers back and pats my arm with his little hand.

"They've been holding out on you babe." Eric says softly and kisses my temple. I feel the tears slip down my cheeks. I get up and kiss each of my babies before I return to my husband's arms.

"They were waiting for the right time, and today was it." Max comments.

I see the strange look Caleb gives me and I take a deep breath.

"You're all familiar with the fear simulations that Dauntless go through, right?" I ask and see nods around the table. "Leadership has to go through fear sims every year as part of our ongoing training and development. I went through mine today, using the new serum from Erudite, and it was terrible. There was an explosion and many of you died in it and I had no idea I was in a sim. They had to stop it manually, and even then it took me a long time to come out of it."

"You're supposed to be aware in a fear sim, I don't know how that happened." Cara says.

"It only happened to the divergent leaders who took it." Eric replies.

"You weren't aware in yours either?" Caleb asks Eric and he shakes his head. "We need to recall this serum and study it further. That shouldn't happen at all."

"We definitely won't be using it for the initiates or leadership. It's dangerous for Divergents." Eric replies.

"Thank you for bringing it to our attention, we will be sure to resolve the issues." Cara says with a smile.

"You're glowing." I say to her and she smiles broader. "Do you have any names picked out?"

"We do. He will be Daniel Aaron Prior." Caleb replies.

"I love it!" Dana exclaims.

"As do I." My mom agrees.

We continue to talk and soon Cara, Caleb, Eric and I clear dinner, wash the dishes and clean the kitchen while our parents and my in laws spend time together with the kids. When we're done, Caleb crawls around on the floor much to his niece and nephews delight, and soon the twins are both yawning and barely able to keep their eyes open.

"Why don't you leave them here tonight?" My father asks. "Your mother and I would love to keep them."

I glance over at Eric and he nods. "Ok, we can do that. I've packed enough for overnight already, I always seem to overpack when I know we're leaving the compound." I reply.

"We'll bathe them and get them in their pajamas." Eric offers.

"Nonsense." Natalie says with a smile. "Let us do it. It's been such a long time since we've bathed babies, and this is so much like when Caleb and Beatrice were small."

We all exchange goodbyes, after I nervously kiss the babies and check their diaper bags. Once we're back in the car on our way to Dauntless Eric and I both manage to fall asleep, only waking when Max gently shakes Eric.

"We're home son." He smiles as Eric and I groggily make our way out of the car and into Dauntless. We exchange hugs, thanks and goodbyes with Max and Dana before making our way to our apartment.

"Babe, let's go out." Eric says suddenly. "Let's see if any of our friends can get a sitter and let's go out together."

I grin at him and nod my head. We text our group of friends and find that not only do all of them want to go out, but Rayne's sisters are in town and volunteered to watch Carson, Zach and Ava for all of us to have some much needed friend time.

I decide to ask my husband to pick out my clothes and he asks the same of me. I go into his side of the closet and pull out a long sleeved grey Henley that I know hugs his muscular physique just right, along with my favorite pair of his soft and worn black jeans.

"Curls stay out." I call out to him and hear him laugh.

"I get a braid then." He calls back.

"Fair enough." I reply as I walk into the bedroom. I see Eric has laid out a short, grey, black and red pleated plaid skirt, along with my combat boots. He's found a tight red shirt that shows a bit of my midriff that I haven't worn since before the twins. I eye the clothes apprehensively.

"Baby, I don't know if I can wear that shirt. What about my stretch marks." I reply nervously.

"Babe, you are so sexy. Your stomach is toned from all of the training you've done since they were born. Please, at least try it on for me." He says and I relent, heading into the bathroom to get ready.

Eric brings my matching red lace bra and thong and I snicker at him.

"What?" He asks innocently as he stands in just his boxers.

"I'm surprised you brought me underwear." I smirk as I change my clothes.

"I've told you before, I can't concentrate when there's nothing between my cock and its home." He whispers huskily in my ear, cupping my breasts from behind.

"Behave. Our friends will be here shortly." I scold as I push him out of the bathroom so I can finish getting ready.

I pull the skirt on and am surprised when it fits perfectly. I nervously pull the tight red crop top on and look in the mirror. I'm surprised at what I see, Eric was right my stretch marks are barely noticeable, and my stomach is firm. While I don't have the muscle definition I had before the twins, I certainly am pleased with my reflection. I begin to braid my hair in loose side fishtail and touch up my makeup, finishing with the dark red lip that I know makes my husband crazy. I pull on my boots, spray a bit of perfume on and walk out of the bathroom. Eric is sitting on the bed, looking incredibly sexy with his tight grey shirt and the black jeans that fit him perfectly. His longer than normal hair is curly and wild, and the beard he's refused to shave the past several days is trimmed neatly.

"You are sexy as hell." I say and he smirks at me.

"You look fucking amazing." He trails his fingers across the few inches of exposed skin between my top and my skirt. He leans in and replaces his fingers with his lips, as he trails kisses across my stomach. I run my fingers through his hair and he chuckles. "I can't believe I'm going out with my hair like this."

"It's sexy. It makes me want to do naughty things to you." I reply as I sit on his lap. He kisses me hard and has a hand sneaking up my shirt when we hear our doorbell.

"Our friends are cockblockers." He moans.

"Need I remind you that this was your idea?" I ask before standing up. I bite his neck before rushing out of the room. I open the door and find all of our friends.

"Let's go!" Marlene says excitedly. "We never get to have adult time. Come on!"

I feel Eric's breath on my neck and I shiver. He chuckles behind me as he helps me into my leather jacket, and he shrugs on his matching one. We walk hand in hand to the Pit talking and laughing with our friends.

To say the Pit was crowded would be the understatement of the year. It seems like most of the faction is out, and the drinking, dancing and debauchery is in full effect. Eric pulls me to the bar, where we order two whiskey neats. After only drinking wine for the past year or so, it doesn't take Eric or I much effort to get a buzz. I can feel him dancing slightly behind me, so I down the rest of my drink and drag him onto the dance floor with our friends.

We watch as Zeke and Uri do some old breakdancing moves, causing a dance off between many of the rowdy members. This is much better than the usual fighting that breaks out when this many hotheads are in close proximity.

"Ok, so you know tonight is ladies night, so it's time to get some ladies up here. I want you all to bring me the hottest girls in this club... don't be shy! Come on up here for a dance contest!" The DJ calls over the microphone.

Before I can even move, I'm picked up and carried to the front of the room. I look over and see the angry face of my husband as he tries to chase me through the crowd. I'm placed on stage and find Rayne and Shauna in the same predicament as me. I try to step off the stage and the bouncers in front stop me.

"What do we do?" I Shauna and Rayne nervously.

"We dance." Shauna says with a smirk and Rayne giggles.

I glance out and see Eric, next to an equally grumpy Four. Zeke is wolf whistling at his wife and nudging our husbands to join in.

"Ok ladies, there's a bunch of you up there. How about we play a song and you just do your thing." The DJ calls out and a hard bass song comes on. Shauna, Rayne and I gravitate towards each other, with me being the shyest of the bunch. Suddenly, Shauna is tapped and excused from the stage. She blows us a kiss as she follows the many other ladies off the stage. I look around and see it's just Rayne, me and six other girls.

"Ok, pair off ladies. Let loose. We'll have the crowd vote by cheers." The DJ says.

The song changes to a catchy prewar song about S&M and Rayne's eyes get bigger. She looks nervous, even though Four and Eric are slightly less rigid out in the crowd.

"Let's win this shit." I yell to her and she smiles. We grab onto each other, gyrating and grinding, turning our bodies very sensually and laughing most of the time. The few glances I steal of Eric show he's a little more than interested in our show, and Four is next to him with his jaw hanging slightly open.

Rayne and I keep up our dancing and we hear raucous applause and cheering, with Zeke and Uriah's whistles carrying over the crowd.

"Holy shit Tris, that's for us." Rayne squeals.

"We have our final two!" The DJ announces and the crowd cheers wildly. "Now, I need a couple of guys that wouldn't mind a little one on one time with our finalists." There is loud cheering and yelling from the men in the crowd, and Rayne and I look at each other in panic. "However, since these are married women, and their husbands could break my ass in half, let's just call them up here."

We watch as Eric and Four make their way through the crowd. Four is led to the stage and I'm ushered off to stand with Eric.

"Tris..." He growls in my ear. "I've never wanted you so much. The way you were dancing with Rayne...fuck." He kisses and sucks on my neck.

"Ok, Rayne, you've selected your song. Do your thing!" The DJ announces. A slow song comes on and Rayne leaves Four standing in the middle of the stage while she dances sensually around him. She uses her long legs to her advantage when at one point she props her calf on his shoulder, and another point she drops to a split in front of him. The crowd cheers her performace.

"Alright, give it up for Rayne Eaton. Let's hear your noise!"

After the loud applause dies down, Eric and I are brought to the stage. I walk over to a bouncer and whisper in his ear, he simply nods and takes off. Eric quirks an eyebrow at me when I walk over to the DJ and request a prewar song that alludes to having some pretty primal sex.

The bouncer brings a chair up and places it in the middle of the stage. I push my husband down on it as the music starts. All I can see before I turn my back to him is the lustful look in his eyes.

As the song plays I do my best impression of a stripper giving a lap dance, without taking any clothes off. I straddle him, grind on him, turn and grind my ass on him and continue my ministrations until he can no longer keep his hands to himself. I grab his wandering hands and place them at his sides, shaking my finger at him. Knowing I'm wearing nothing but the tiny lace thong he picked out, I straddle his lap again, wrapping my legs around his waist and then bending backwards as the song ends. Eric moves his hands finally, pulls me up and crashes his lips to mine, kissing me deeply and with passion and not caring that we are on a stage in front of most of our faction.

The cheers and whistles are out of control and Eric and I are lost in each other as the DJ announces I'm the winner. I jump off of Eric's lap, take my bow and take my prize from the DJ. I barely turn around before my husband grabs my hand and leads me off the stage. He doesn't stop walking until we reach the bathroom and he kicks the couple who are kissing out of the room before slamming and locking the door.

His hands are up my skirt and I feel him ripping my thong from my body as he roughly kisses me. I'm trying to unbuckle his pants without breaking our contact, and when I finally do I push his pants down to the floor. He turns me so my hands are on the counter, bends me over and thrusts into me from behind, watching me through our reflection as he tugs hard on my braid.

We say nothing, instead just watching each other as pleasure rips through each of us and we are pushed closer and closer to our edge. The feral look in his eyes is the rough leader I fell in love with, and for this moment nothing else matters.

When I finally reach my orgasm it rips through me, making my walls clench down and pull his release from him. He moans my name in pleasure as my walls continue to pulse around him, drawing every bit of his seed into me.

We both continue to look at each other in the mirror, neither one of us moving or saying a word, both of us panting and struggling to catch our breath. When my pulse finally returns to a somewhat normal rhythm, Eric pulls me against him and whispers in my ear.

"Every fucking time Tris, its explosive. Fireworks. Explosions in the sky baby." He huskily whispers against my ear as he slips out of me.

"Explosions in the sky." I whisper back with a smile.


	33. For Better or For Worse

**AN: Thanks for your patience in dealing with the long delays in posting for this story. I appreciate you all :)**

Chapter 33: For Better or For Worse

Tris POV

I sit on the cold tile floor, leaning up against the wall and try to get my emotions in check before I leave the stall. Crying in the bathroom is never a good look, and all I want to do is make my way to the infirmary without people questioning my red and swollen eyes.

Things have been busy and pretty stressful these past several months. The twins turned a year old almost six months ago, and their birthday party was a huge success. That night, long after we had gone to bed we received a phone call from the hospital in Erudite letting me know my father had been brought in with a major heart attack, and things were touch and go for several days. He's made a full recovery, and he returned to full duty at work earlier this week, which increases my worry even more not knowing what the stress of his head leadership position will do to his already precarious health situation.

Eric, being the stubborn man that he is, decided to dig his heels when it came to adding to the junior level of leadership. We still have our core leadership team, with Eric as our head leader, then Will, Four, Uriah and me below him and then the new addition of a junior leadership staff that currently consists of Peter and Jasper, and there are two additional spots we just voted to add. We all want to bring Rayne back into leadership, but my grudge carrying husband is fighting us tooth and nail, citing her willingness to defect to Amity as his reason for refusing her. I have quietly called bullshit, but only when he and I are in private, and I know through many personal conversations the two of us have had that the main reason for his reluctance is how deeply she hurt Four. Not only was that over two years ago, but she and Four have worked through all of their issues and moved on, their marriage is stronger and happier than ever. They even expanded their family, with Caris joining her big brother Carson nine months ago. Eric and Four are as close as ever, and Four has even accepted that his best friend may never be able to forgive his wife, but I still try to gently push my husband to try to be reasonable.

Some grudges I understand, like the deep seeded hatred he has for Peter's wife Syl. Granted, I don't like the woman at all and not just because of her past with Eric, but even I know how to be civil. I knew when I married Eric that he had a past, and we both knew that neither of us were virgins so it's a necessary part of life to have to face our exes. While Four and his friendship started off shaky, they have become as close as brothers, but Syl is a whole different type of beast. She and Peter seem to be happily married, however any events or functions that has leadership and their spouses together finds Syl pushing Eric's buttons. She shamelessly flirts with him, finds ways to bring up their past flings and she blatantly ignores me and will barely acknowledge me as his wife. I've learned not to let her bother me, since Eric hates her enough for both of us, and I have more than enough faith in my own marriage than to waste my energy worrying about her. Eric finally snapped on her and also told Peter that he either needed to find a way to ask his wife to conduct herself professionally or leave her at home. Another sign that Peter has matured was that he didn't get angry at Eric; he simply apologized and dealt with his wife privately.

As if work and parenting toddlers haven't been stressful enough, my mother in law Millicent contacted me out of the blue yesterday asking if she and I could meet for dinner one night this week. I haven't mentioned it to Eric, because he's been very busy with training Will for the financial and budgeting side of leadership, and if I'm being honest it's not something I necessarily want to tell him. I did end up calling my sister in law Taryn this morning and found out that Millicent had been visiting with Ethan, Taryn and their girls for the past few weeks, and she had been asking them for advice on how to repair her relationship with Eric. Apparently she thinks I am the path to her son. As much as I'd like to see Eric have a relationship with his parents, and our children to know their grandparents I'm not sure if he could take them shunning him again if he were to let them in.

And now I have to face reality and find out what is going on with my health. I finally make my way to the infirmary, avoiding the prying eyes of our faction and quietly making my way to where I know Marlene is waiting for me.

"Hey, come on I have a room waiting for you." She says with obvious worry etched on her face.

I follow her into the exam room and she shuts the door behind us. She sits down on the rolling stool and I take a seat in the chair usually reserved for the patient's family. She rests her hands on her baby bump, and fixes her eyes on mine.

Marlene, Christina and Shauna are all pregnant right now which under normal circumstances would be hilarious, but two out of the three pregnancies were completely unplanned. Christina and Will had been trying to get pregnant for a little over two months when they conceived. Uriah and Marlene were pretty excited for their news, while Zeke and Shauna were apprehensive. Zach has grown into a calmer toddler, but his colicky start and Shauna's postpartum depression worry both of them with this pregnancy as well. All three babies are due within the same six week timeframe as well, which means sometime in the next couple of months I will be an aunt three times over again.

"You've been crying." Marlene says. I nod in response. "Are you here to finally tell me what's been going on with you?"

"I need you to examine me." I respond. Marlene furrows her eyebrows at me.

"Ok, can you at least tell me what I'm looking for here Tris? You're being awfully vague."

"I'm probably pregnant. Possibly over two or three months along, maybe more because I don't even remember my last fucking period and I started spotting this morning." I reply without meeting her eyes.

"Tris…" She whispers. "Ok honey, let's figure this out. Go ahead and get out of your leggings and boots, basically I need you bare from the waist down. Hop up here when you're done. How long have you been spotting and how much?"

"It started this morning. Just noticeable when I wipe." I reply stoically.

"Why haven't you been in for prenatal care?" She asks. I can tell how carefully she is guarding her words.

"I didn't know, and I still don't know for sure. I've been so busy with the kids, my dad's heath issues, training Peter, work, trying to ensure that Eric and I have some time to ourselves, you know how life gets. When I saw the blood this morning I thought it might be my period, and then it dawned on me that I've missed at least two already and maybe more. I don't even know how I could let it get this far." I choke the last part out through tears and Marlene puts her arms around me.

"None of that, Tris you're a busy woman and you haven't always had to deal with having a period because of your different methods of birth control." Marlene soothes and I try to calm myself down. "First things first, let's go ahead and get a urine sample." She hands me a clear cup and I take it into the bathroom and fill it. I notice the lack of blood when I wipe and I'm relieved.

"No blood this time." I say quietly as I hand the cup to Marlene. She immediately immerses two different pregnancy tests and she smiles softly at me. "I'm going to draw some blood as well and send it over to the lab."

Marlene quickly and painlessly draws the blood and then calls for a nurse to take it to the lab. "I don't see any traces of blood in your urine either. That's a good sign." She remarks. She glances down at the tests and looks back over at me. "You're pregnant."

"Wow. Ok." I say carefully.

"Tris, this wasn't planned?" Marlene asks.

"Well, no. Yet another thing I forgot to do was get my birth control pills. Funny how with one ovary I manage to get pregnant when the odds are stacked against me, but for over six months we tried and couldn't conceive. Life is so busy right now; I have two toddlers and now one on the way. I'm going to potentially have three in diapers if I can't get the twins potty trained. Oh my god Marlene, what have I done?"

"Breathe Tris. It's fine. Really, you two are great parents and you have a strong marriage. You both wanted more kids, right?" She asks.

"Well yeah, but…" I begin.

"No buts, I'm going to go get the ultrasound equipment so we can see what's going on in there, ok? Do you want to call Eric?"

"No. Not yet." I shake my head. I nervously wait for Marlene to come back. She doesn't take long before returning with the ultrasound equipment on its rolling cart.

"Tris, I'm going to have you lay back." Marlene says and I lie back on the exam table. Marlene squeezes the jelly on my stomach and presses the wand against it and within seconds we can see the baby on the screen.

"Oh my gosh, how far along am I?" I ask.

"Based on these measurements I'd estimate you're between fourteen and fifteen weeks." She replies.

"Holy shit. I missed the whole first trimester? I've had no morning sickness at all. I haven't had any symptoms at all Marlene. Nothing." I explain. "Is it ok? I mean with the spotting and lack of prenatal care?"

"I don't see any signs of distress. The placenta is attached, and your baby looks to be developing beautifully." Marlene replies with a smile. "We'll get you on your vitamin plan, and based on your blood work you're anemic so we'll need to get your iron up."

"Wait, what does that mean? Am I ok? Is the baby ok?" I ask.

"You're fine, and being mildly anemic during a pregnancy is common. The baby is absorbing most of your nutrients, including the iron in your shared blood supply. It's easily treatable, and nothing to worry about. Your blood pressure is good too, but just like before we're going to want to keep a close eye on it." She says while she scrolls through her tablet. "Dr. Morgan has an opening in two days, will that work?"

"Yes." I agree.

Marlene looks at me before carefully speaking again. "Talk to me, as your friend not as a nurse practioner. Please."

"I don't know if I can do this. Work has been crazy. Eric's been even more stressed than normal. There are some days where I just kind of hide and avoid the rest of leadership because things seem so tense. The twins are just toddlers now, and now I'm pregnant again?" I sigh.

"Are you and Eric having problems?" She asks gently.

"No, I think we're both just dealing with stress differently. Marlene, his mother emailed me yesterday out of the blue asking to meet for dinner soon. Please don't say anything to anyone, I haven't had a chance to talk to Eric about it yet. I did talk to my sister in law about it this morning and found out Millicent has been visiting with them and the girls these past few weeks. Apparently she wants to mend fences with Eric and thinks I may be the catalyst to make that happen." I shrug.

"Oh wow, that is certainly a sticky situation. When are you planning on telling Eric?" She asks.

"Tonight. We don't keep secrets from each other." I reply.

"It seems like you two have a lot to discuss then." She smiles.

"It appears that way. I don't know how he's going to take this." I sigh.

"Are you kidding, he's going to be excited. He's always talking about the huge family you two are going to have." She grins.

"I know, I'm just worried I guess. I've been kind of down lately, but I thought it was just stress. I guess hormones too, huh?" I ask.

"Mmhmm, I'd say so. It's hard to believe you've managed to almost make it through four months of pregnancy without any morning sickness. I swear I was throwing up every hour in this office for my first trimester." She shakes her head.

"You really don't know the sex of your baby?" I ask with a smile.

"Oh I know, but Uri wanted to wait so I have to play dumb." She shrugs. "I've almost slipped so many times, especially when we're out shopping."

"Chris and Shauna are both having girls. Will there be more pink...?" I ask with a smile.

"There may possibly be a miniature version of Uriah running around Dauntless sometime soon." She smiles.

"A boy." I say softly while putting my hand on her bump. "Uriah is going to be so happy."

"I know. He says he doesn't care as long as the baby and I are healthy but I know he secretly wants a son. He feels like if we have a boy first it'll be his little man who can take care of the family we have when he's not around." She smiles warmly at the thought.

"Have you thought of any names?" I ask.

"We had names picked out for either sex, the one we picked out for a boy is Joseph after his dad for a first name, and we're giving him his brothers middle name. So Joseph Ezekiel Pedrad. Joey for short." She replies with a huge smile.

"I love it." I reply earnestly.

"Do you want to know what you're having?" She asks.

"I didn't even realize you could already tell." I reply with a gasp.

"I could, yes. It's up to you if you want to know." She replies. I nod my head.

"You're going to have another miniature Eric running around Dauntless too." She smirks.

"A boy?" I smile and she nods. "Eric is going to love that."

"I know Harper already has him wrapped around her little finger, having two little princesses may have thrown the power in the Coulter household." She replies.

"Oh yeah she does. She is definitely a daddy's girl." I smile. "But, there's something about Eric and Tucker too, and for him to have another son oh wow Marlene. They are going to be little soldiers like their daddy." I smile at the thought.

"Theres the Tris I know and love. Honey I know this is a completely unplanned pregnancy but you are a wonderful mom and you and Eric are a team." She smiles.

"Thank you. I needed a pep talk for sure. Can you keep this news between us for now? I need to work up the courage to talk to Eric about it, but not while we're working. I've been absent a lot lately and out of sorts so I need to go back to work and focus for a change."

"You have my word." She replies before hugging me.

"Thank you Marlene. You truly are one of my best friends, more like a sister." I whisper as she squeezes me tighter.

"You're welcome. You are definitely a sister." She steps away from the hug but puts her hands on my arms. "Tris, would you consider talking to Johanna?" She asks.

"You think I'm depressed." I make a statement and not a question. I can telll by the look on her face that's exactly what she thinks. "Mar, I'm fine. I just need to reduce my stress, that's all."

"Promise me you will at least think about it." She says.

"I promise." I reply and she hugs me one more time before walking me out of the room. We exchange our goodbyes as I head to the office. I notice Eric is not in his office, and Four's door is closed, so my assumption is they are meeting together. I bypass the door and head for Uriahs open door.

"Come on in Tris." Uriah calls out and I make my way into the office. I desperately need a distraction from the thoughts racing through my mind about this pregnancy. Uriah has a full house, with Will, Peter and Jasper all in the room.

"Hey guys. How's it going?" I ask. Peter stands up and offers me his seat which I gratefully take.

"These two idiots are trying to talk me into knocking my wife up since apparently that's the thing to do these days." Peter says sarcastically with a laugh.

"All the cool kids are doing it." Uriah grins.

"I've never been happier to be single." Jasper shakes his head.

"Don't you guys do any actual work?" I ask.

"Asks the woman who didn't show up until almost lunchtime." Will smirks.

"Shut up. Anyway, what's going on with the situation in the outskirts of Amity? I read an email from Johanna this morning saying that the Dauntless who are onsite were discussing requesting more soldiers." I ask.

"Eric didn't tell you?" Uriah asks with his eyebrow quirked.

"Tell me what?" I ask. I watch as Will and Uri share a look. "What's going on?"

"I think you should talk to Eric." Will says evenly.

"Fuck that, I'm a leader too and if there's something going on that affects our faction I should know without having to ask my husband about it. What is going on?" I growl.

I notice that Peter shuts the door behind me and then leans against the wall. I look between the four men and see the conflict etched on their faces.

"Talk now." I command and Will takes a deep breath.

"There's unrest amongst the factionless again. We've already sent more troops down, so whatever email you read from Johanna was likely dated. I'm going to assume you haven't seen the more recent ones?" Will asks.

"I don't have any recent emails from Johanna." I reply. I see Uriah shake his head slightly. "Uri, what is it?"

"He's just trying to protect you Tris. That's all. You know he's going to have a conversation with you about it, he probably didn't want to upset you. I mean, you've been really stressed out these past few weeks, and more so the last couple of days. He was probably just waiting for the right time." Uriah explains.

"Stop making excuses. What has he done?" I ask.

"This is marriage stuff Tris, it's more than just work don't you get it? The two of you are married and we've been put into a sticky situation now." Jasper adds.

I look at Peter and know he's the most likely to give it to me straight. Our past is riddled with many issues and bumps that we've managed to smooth out over the years, however there's an almost unspoken rule in our work and personal relationship that keeps both of us brutally honest with the other.

"Peter, you and I have worked hard to get where we are today, and what got us here was brutal honesty. I need that from you right now." I say evenly and I can already see his resolve crumbling.

"She's right guys, and I'll take full blame for this one. I don't know, or want to know how Eric has been keeping the email communications from you. Johanna reported more attempts to infiltrate the walls at Amity. The troops that we have stationed there hear round haven't been enough to keep the peace and the factionless have been trying hard to infiltrate Amity. They want the food that's grown there and the clothing industries for sure, but there's rumblings that it's more than just that. We've heard rumors that Amity is just the start, and if they can overtake them they'll move towards Abnegation next and eventually even further. Whoever is organizing the factionless is ruthless, and we're not exactly sure what we're up against. Tris, we're heading back out to Amity to end these fuckers once and for all." Peter says and I see Uriah and Will tensing.

"Who's we? When?" I ask.

"Eric, Four, Jasper and me to start. He didn't want to send Uri or Will if he didn't have to since they have pregnant wives at home. He's not sending you because he wants you here with Tucker and Harper." Peter says carefully.

"When?" I ask angrily.

"Tris, you have to calm down and see this from his point of view." Uriah says.

"When?" I yell and Will places a hand on my arm.

"Tomorrow night. He was planning on telling you this morning. I know he was looking for you." Will says quietly.

"He's kept me out of the emails! How long have you known?" I ask looking around the room. "How long?" I raise my voice and Uriah comes over and sits on the arm of the chair.

"Tris, before you blow up at us or at him think about the big picture..." Uriah begins and I interrupt him.

"How fucking long?" I seethe.

"We've been in negotiation for five days, and Eric made the call to send more troops out immediately. He decided to send leadership out yesterday." Peter answers. I jump out of my seat and Uriah grabs me.

"He makes every decision thinking about you and your children." Uriah says.

"He's treating me like his wife and not like a leader! He doesn't get to make decisions like that." I argue.

"Tris, he's been worried about you lately. You've been out of sorts." Uriah replies gently.

"I'm not some fucking porcelain doll that will shatter if dropped. I'm a leader too!" I shout as I barrel past him and out the door.

I walk to Eric's office and find it empty, so I make my way back to Four's office. I throw open the door and find Eric and Four deep in conversation, both men jumping when the door slams against the wall.

"You were going to just leave and not fucking tell me? That's how you want to do things? Every fucking member of leadership knows about Amity except _me_? How dare you?" I yell.

The looks on Eric and Four's face tell me everything I need to know. I turn on my heel and walk out of his office slamming the door behind me.

"Tris, wait." Eric calls out as he jogs to catch up to me. "We need to talk."

"As my husband or as my fellow leader Eric? You sure as hell don't seem to know how to do that last part very well." I say as I continue walking to my office with Eric on my heels.

"I was going to tell you." He says as he follows me into my office and closes the door behind himself.

"You deleted the emails from my account before I ever got a chance to see them." I say as I try to keep my voice down.

"Tris, I can explain..."

"Tell me the truth right now Eric, did you have those emails deleted before I could read them?" I ask.

"Please give me a chance to explain this." He says again.

"Answer the goddamn question Eric." I growl.

"Yes, I set a rule on your mail file to forward messages like that to me and then to delete them from your mail file." He admits.

"I am a leader!" I shout. "Do you do this to anyone else in leadership?"

"Tris..."

"Is it because I'm a woman Eric? Do you think the fact that I'm not a brutally strong, penis wielding, testosterone filled animal that I can't fucking handle myself? Or is it because I'm the head leaders wife? I'm just here to look pretty and be close so you can keep your fucking eye on me?"

"Beatrice!" He shouts. "Can you listen to yourself right now?"

"You have shielded me from important information. You have made it so I am unprepared as a leader of this faction. I don't give a fuck what excuses you have for it, or what reasoning you want to offer me. You have impeded my abilities to lead this faction because of whatever insecurity you have about me being fully aware and involved. If any of the other faction leaders had approached me regarding this situation in Amity I would have been blindsided and completely unprepared to offer a response. You have made me look like a fool in front of our colleagues." I reply angrily.

"You've been doing a pretty good job of making yourself look like a fool in front of our colleagues. What other member of leadership just comes and goes as they please, acts like a complete bitch to whoever they want because they feel like it huh? You've been making us walk on eggshells around you because of your constant mood swings. So don't fucking blame me when I try to shield you from something that very well could have sent you over the edge!" He shouts.

I stare at him, my chest is heaving from my heavy breathing and my nostrils are flared. "You have no right bitching at me about _my_ mood swings when you are just as guilty of having your own. I can't even talk to you about Rayne without you biting my goddamn head off and every fucking member of leadership except _you_ wants her back on the team. You drag your heels when you _know_ we need help in leadership and you've broken a very fucking important promise you made to be home with our children and me every night for dinner just because you are too goddamn stubborn to let her back in. You are making your family suffer because you are too much of a control freak to let some of the other leaders take over some of the responsibilities. You are doing the one thing that used to make you furious with Max - micromanaging the shit out of us and refusing to allow us to take ownership of tasks that don't need to be handled by you!"

"Really Tris, now you're going to tell me how I should or shouldn't run my faction?" He roars.

" _Your_ faction Eric? Wow, I guess the rest of us are just your supporting cast huh? Big bad Eric runs shit on his own and the rest of us peons just wait till he tosses us a crumb. Tell me Eric, who else are you filtering emails for? Or is that an honor just for the one who fucks you?"

Eric's eyes widen and I can tell I've pushed him too far. At this point, I don't give a fuck. He's overstepped his leadership role and I am livid.

"Get out." He says with venom.

"No." I challenge.

"You are dismissed Tris. Get out of my office." He growls.

"No!" I shout. "I'm your wife, you need to fucking treat me with some respect."

"Oh _now_ you want me to treat you like my wife. Tough shit. You want to be treated like any other member of leadership well you are now. You are being insubordinate and you need to get the fuck out of my office before I suspend you and relieve you from your leadership duties."

"Fuck you!" I shout and he steps from behind his desk and gets into my face.

"Get out now. Cool off." He warns.

"Yes sir, Mr. Coulter sir." I reply angrily. I walk out of his office and I will the tears away as I stride down the hallway.

I'm grabbed and pulled into an office before I can protest and I'm pushed into a chair.

"Calm down. Jesus Christ I could hear the two of you yelling down here." Four says as he massages his temples.

"I need to get out of here. I need to go pick up my kids." I reply angrily and try to stand up but he puts his hands on the arms of the chair effectively caging me in.

"No, you need to calm down. You absolutely cannot pick up your children while you're in this state of mind." He replies.

"Did you know he was hiding this from me?" I ask.

"Tris, let's not talk about that. I really need you to calm down. You're shaking from anger." He replies.

"Did you know?" I yell.

"Yes." He replies and I punch him. He falls back from the force and possibly the shock of me lashing out and I get up and scramble out of his office. I make my way to Max and Dana's apartment and knock on the door. A surprised Dana opens the door and lets me in.

"Where are my kids?" I ask.

"Napping. Hey, what's wrong?" She asks as she reaches out for my arm.

"I need to get them, I need to go." I say and I feel her tighten her grip on my arm.

"Tris, what is wrong? You are frantic right now. Did something happen?" She asks.

"I need to go." I repeat. I feel the tears slipping down my cheeks and she wraps her arms around me.

"What happened sweetheart?" She asks as I break down in sobs.

"I need to go." I say in between sobs and she holds me tighter against her.

"I can't let you back to them right now. You would frighten them in your current state. Tris, please tell me what's wrong."

"I want to leave. I need my kids." I repeat as I cry against her shoulder. I feel her leading us to her couch and she helps me sit down. She sits beside me and wraps her arms around me again.

"They are sleeping. They are fine, but it's obvious their mother isn't. Tris, honey what's wrong?" She asks gently.

"I'm leaving Dana. I need to take them with me." I repeat.

"Honey, where are you going?" She asks.

"I'm leaving." I repeat as I try to catch my breath. "I don't want to be here anymore. I want to go to Abnegation."

"You want to visit your parents? I can arrange for them to come here sweetheart." She replies.

"I need to get out of Dauntless." I reply. "Away from Eric."

She looks at me in shock. Before she can speak I hear Max's deep voice.

"What did he do?" He asks.

I take a deep breath and fill them in on what I learned about Amity and how Eric had set my email up to avoid letting me read anything disturbing. Dana says nothing, but the look on her face is telling. Max's expression is hard.

"He abused his leadership." He finally says. "He also crossed boundaries as a husband that he never should have."

"Exactly." I nod.

"Tris, stay here until you're calm. I don't know what may or may not happen between you and Eric tonight but the children certainly don't need to be a witness to it. I can talk to Eric." Max says.

"No, you don't need to do that. I appreciate it but it's not necessary." I reply.

"What do you want to do Tris?" Dana asks.

"I need some space. We've had some stress from work lately, and both of us have been out of sorts. I've been upset with him for working later and later and refusing to give up control, and apparently he's been upset with my moodiness. The tipping point is him not respecting me as a leader and treating me like some sort of submissive wife. He undermined my authority as a leader and he broke trust as my husband." I explain.

"You can stay here. There's no need to leave the faction to get space." Dana offers. "Maybe once you've both had a chance to calm down some you can talk before he leaves for Amity."

I nod my head and say nothing. I'm so pissed at my husband right now I can't even think straight, but then I think about him once again heading out into the dangerous unknown while I'm pregnant. He doesn't even know and I don't know if I can take the worry of him leaving again. Stress contributed to my eclampsia with Gunnar. I feel tears pricking at my eyes as I think about what all of this anger could be doing to our unborn son.

Max has taken a seat on my other side as he and Dana offer their quiet support. I grab my cell phone from my pocket and type a text to Eric.

 _T: We need to talk._

 _E: I'm too pissed right now. Later._

 _T: It's important._

 _E: What part of I'm too pissed right now aren't you getting? Not now Tris._

 _T: You're going to let your anger override fixing this? I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't something important._

 _E: I don't have time for this right now. Let it fucking go._

I look down at my phone and take a deep breath. I stand up and turn towards Max and Dana.

"Thank you both for talking to me and helping me to calm down, it means a lot to me. I'm going to get the twins now, we're going to go to my parents for awhile." I say as I begin packing their diaper bags.

"Tris, are you sure?" Dana asks and I see the look she exchanges with Max.

"I am. Eric and I are in no shape to talk to each other. I need to go." I reply.

"Why don't you leave the twins here for the night. This way Eric can say goodbye to them before he has to leave for Amity tomorrow." Max offers.

Max is right, no matter how angry I am at Eric right now I shouldn't keep him from saying goodbye to his children. I nod my head at them.

"Ok, that's a good idea." I reply softly. "I'm just going to go check on them." I reply and Dana nods and smiles at me.

I make my way into their room and look at their sweet faces. They've both moved to toddler beds and it almost breaks my heart to think of them growing up so fast. I kneel down in between their beds and kiss each one softly. I tuck their blankets around them and then sit back for a moment to just watch them sleep.

"Mama." Tucker whispers, breaking me from my daze. I hold out my arms to him and he scrambles into them, tucking his head into the crook of my neck.

"Lub mama." He says sleepily. I feel his warm breath on my neck and I fight back tears.

"I love you too baby boy. You are going to make the best big brother." I whisper. I rock him gently from my seated position on the floor. "I can't believe by the time you turn two you'll have a baby brother." I whisper.

"You're pregnant?" I hear a whisper behind me and I freeze.


	34. Don't Look Back in Anger

**AN: Thank you for all the love and support for this story. Enjoy.**

Chapter 34: Don't Look Back in Anger

Eric POV

What the absolute fuck just happened?

I knew Tris would be pissed if she found out I rerouted her email. I knew it would probably start a fight, but I ever thought it would be that. I pace back and forth in my office trying to calm down. It's either this or punching the fuck out of my wall right now. I really need to get a punching bag in here.

"You alright?" Four calls from my open doorway. I look over at him.

"What the hell happened to your face?" I ask.

"Your wife punched me." He replies.

"That angry and spiteful woman is _not_ my wife. What the fuck is wrong with her?" I ask.

"I don't know Eric, maybe the fact that you filtered her email? Or maybe it's because you'd yet to tell her you're going into another unknown assignment in Amity tomorrow night and she heard it from someone else?" He replies angrily.

"Seriously? You too? What the fuck." I reply running my hands through my hair.

"Why does this surprise you at all? You fucked up man, big time. All of our wives knew about this shit with Amity already. You had to realize that she was going to find out and when she did she was going to be pissed. What the hell were you thinking?" He asks.

"She's been distracted, stressed and overall moody as hell. I was trying to keep her stress down a bit. Plus I've been working late and I know she's pissed already about that. I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping her out of this bullshit until I was sure we were even going to engage." I reply. "I didn't expect her to go the fuck off on me like she did."

"You deserved it. You were wrong." He replies evenly and I glare at him. "Fuck you and the glare; I'm in here as your friend right now. You treated her like your wife during work hours, and you made her feel like she's a lesser leader than the rest of us. You need to own it and apologize."

"Who asked you?" I growl.

"Your wife's fist." He counters.

"Did she text you too?" I ask.

"No, why?" He asks.

"Don't scroll, you'll see more than you wanted. Just read what's on the screen." I slide my phone across the desk and he reads the exchange.

"You're a dick. I will admit she said some fucked up shit when she was in here but that was harsh. She tells you it's important and you brush her off?" He asks as he slides my phone back to me.

"I'm not doing this right now. We need to cool off. I know you're trying to help but trust me when I say that nothing good will come out of her and I talking right now." I reply and Four makes no effort to hide the incredulous look on his face. "I've been married to her for years, I think I know my wife."

"You're an idiot." He shakes his head. I open my mouth to reply but we're interrupted by a knock on my door.

"Come in." I yell and Jasper opens the door and enters.

"I'm sorry for the interruption, Johanna is on the phone and she said it's urgent." He announces.

I punch the speaker button on my phone and gesture for Jasper and Four to stay. "Johanna, what's going on?"

"There was an attack. Several members of your troops have been injured, some gravely. I've asked Jack and Cara to send some of their guards but Eric I think we need more Dauntless presence. Is there anything you can do to get more soldiers onsite?" Johanna asks. I can hear the panic she's working hard to keep hidden in her voice.

"Of course Johanna, I'll get my team together immediately. We will have troops arriving within the hour, you have my word. I have my cell phone, please use it if needed. I have a few things here to handle before leaving but you will have leadership presence there soon as well. Are you safe?"

"Yes, we're safe, just unprepared for the violence. Thank you, and I will see you soon." She replies before we disconnect.

"You heard her." I say to Jasper and Four. I punch the conference button on my phone and ring the leadership offices until Uriah answers. "Uriah, do you have Will and Peter?"

"Yes sir." He replies.

"Everyone in my office, now." I reply before disconnecting.

Four meets my eyes across the desk. "Tris." He says and I hold up my hand.

"Don't." I shake my head. "I don't have time..."

"She's a leader too, so she _will_ be here." He growls as he presumably dials her number from his cell phone. He frowns when she doesn't answer. "I'll be right back. Do not start this meeting without me."

I sigh as he walks out of the door and the silence in the office is uncomfortable. Will is the first to speak.

"Eric, it's truly none of our business what goes on with you and Tris outside of work hours; however we do all have to work together. None of us meant to cause harm by informing her of the unrest in Amity." Will offers.

"I know." I reply. Before anyone else has a chance to speak there is a sharp knock at my door and it opens. I watch as an obviously agitated Max walks in.

"We need to talk." He says in a tone of voice I haven't heard in years.

"Max, with all due respect I can't right now. We are in the middle of a crisis with Amity…." I begin but he cuts me off.

"What needs to be done?" Max barks.

"Johanna needs more troops…" I say.

Max sharply turns his attention towards Will. "Will, are you capable of organizing some troops and arranging them to deport to Amity within the hour?"

"Yes sir." Will replies.

"Then do it. Everyone out." Max commands. I watch as each of the other leaders stand up and walk out of my office, with Jasper closing the door behind him.

Max doesn't sit when I gesture towards a chair across from my desk; instead he stands behind a chair gripping tightly on its back.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" He growls. Shit. I've only heard him this angry once before and it had everything to do with Jeanine Matthews.

"Max, I had my reasons..."

"No, there are not any legitimate reasons to go into another leader's email file and route their messages away. You completely abused your leadership position and you not only disrespected a fellow leader you made her feel inferior as both a leader of this faction and as your wife Eric. If you truly feel that Tris isn't capable of leading this faction you deal with that, you don't coddle her or treat her with kid gloves. During work hours she is not your wife, she is a leader of this faction and she should be treated accordingly. Did you do this to anyone else Eric?" Max fumes.

"No, I didn't." I reply.

"I trusted you with the power this position entails and you've abused it. I know that neither leadership nor marriage has a handbook, so I am going to offer you some advice on both whether you want it or not. Working with a spouse is not easy, and it's especially hard when one of you is in a position of authority. You abused your authority with her, which not only has damaged your working relationship it's also damaged your marriage." He explains.

"I was just trying to protect her Max. I didn't even know if we were going to engage with these rebels." I explain weakly.

"She doesn't need protecting son, not when it comes to her job. You don't get to make decisions for her, not about work and not about her life in general. What happened to the team the two of you once were? During her leadership training I'd never seen a more powerful and capable duo than the two of you. Once she was promoted to full leadership, that working relationship between the two of you grew exponentially. The two of you trusted each other implicitly, so tell me what happened?" Max asks angrily.

"She almost died, once in the line of duty and then again when we lost Gunnar. It changed the way I look at her. I know she's capable Max; she's probably more capable of running this faction than I am, but she is the mother of my children. She is my entire world and when I think about something or someone hurting her or our children my first reaction is to do whatever I can to protect them. She's everything to me."

"I understand feeling protective of your family, but what you did was an invasion of her privacy and it was wrong. So if you can't apologize to her and fucking mean it then you need to stay away from her until you can. I'm serious Eric." Max says.

Both the tone of his voice and the look on his face are nothing I've seen from Max in a very long time. He considers me to be his son, and in this moment I know he's immensely disappointed in me.

"I know I messed up. I'm sorry that I've disappointed you." I reply with sincerity.

"You and I will be fine, however I can't speak for you and your wife. She wasn't thinking clearly when she got to our apartment."

"Is she still there now?" I ask. Max nods his head.

"She was in the twins' room when I left. They were napping, and Dana and I managed to talk her into letting them stay the night so you could say goodbye to them before you left for Amity." He replies.

"What do you mean you talked her into letting them stay? Where was she going?" I ask as panic starts to bubble in my chest.

"She was going to her parents." He answers and I stand up. "Eric, I'm serious, you go to her to apologize not to fight."

"I'm planning on it." I say as I make my way to the door with Max on my heels.

The walk to his apartment is tense, and when he lets us in the door Dana seems surprised to see us.

"Hello Eric." She says with a smile and I lean in to kiss her cheek.

"Hey Dana, are the twins still napping?" I ask and she gives me a quizzical look.

"They're not here, Tris and Four left with them shortly after Max left the apartment to go see you. I thought they were going to your office." She replies.

"No, they didn't ever come in. Maybe they're in Four's office or at home." I reply. I reach for my phone and dial Tris' number. I'm not surprised when it goes to voice mail since I know she's upset with me. I try Four's phone and also get his voicemail. "They're not answering." I remark.

"Let me try." Max says before pulling out his phone and dialing Tris. He shakes his head and furrows his eyebrows. He tries Four's number next and Dana and I both watch his face. He glances up at me and shakes his head again.

"I'm going to swing by the apartment. If the twins are being rambunctious it might have caused Tris or Four not to answer." I say. "Can we talk later?" I ask Max and he nods. I kiss Dana on her cheek before leaving their apartment and walking to mine.

"Hello?" I call out to the empty apartment. I see an envelope propped up on the kitchen island and I walk over to it. My stomach drops when I see my name written on it in my wife's handwriting.

I tear the envelope open and pull out the letter.

 _Eric,_

 _I need some space. We will be in Abnegation with my parents for now. If you'd like to see the kids we can make arrangements for you to visit without me being here._

 _Tris_

I read it again, and again and yet I still can't believe it. I walk to the twins' room and find the little suitcases that Tris or I usually pack for them when they spend the weekend with her parents are gone.

My wife left me. She took our kids.

"Fuck." I whisper.

I pull my phone out and call Max. As soon as he answers I begin speaking.

"She left me. She took the kids and left." I look in our closet and see she's taken her bag as well.

"Where are you?" He asks.

"Home." I reply.

"Be right there." He replies before disconnecting.

I sit down on the corner of our bed and rest my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. I hear Max let himself in and call out for me.

"In the bedroom." I reply.

"I thought she was just upset, I didn't think she would actually leave son." He says as he places his hand on my shoulder.

"How did I let things get this far Max?" I ask while shaking my head. "I knew when I started working later and later that she was upset. I pushed that thought to the side because I kept telling myself I was going to make it up to her and the late nights were only temporary. You know how it gets Max, you were there before." I sigh.

"I was, but the only reason I didn't spread the work around leadership was because I didn't know who I could trust. You have a great staff, why aren't you allowing them to take some of the load off of yourself?" He asks.

"Tris says it's because I'm a perfectionist and I have to be in control. She's right." I reply with a shrug. "I can't believe Four helped her do this."

"Are you sure he did?" Max asks.

"Pretty sure, yes. He's not in his office; he's not answering calls or texts. Will said he hasn't seen him since he left earlier to go get Tris. So my best friend helped my wife leave me." I sigh. "I want to see her. I want to talk to her. I want to see my kids. How do I fix this? I'm supposed to be leaving to go to Amity tomorrow."

"I'm going to offer you some advice, what you do with it is completely up to you. Let your staff handle the unrest in Amity, you fix your marriage. You have the best troops out there, let them do their jobs. You don't need to be there right now, yes there was an attack but it was unorganized and isolated. Send your next in command and be available for updates and decision making." Max says.

"You never did that with me." I scoff.

"In my eyes you are my son; I sure as hell was not going to send you out in harm's way while I sat behind. That situation with Jeanine was completely different than this shit in Amity. Fix things with your wife." He replies.

My phone buzzes and I look down at the screen.

 _F: They're safe and settled in at her parents._

Max looks over at me. "Is it Tris?"

"No, it's Four." I reply and show him the text.

 _E: Will she talk to me?_

 _F: She's calmer, but I'm not sure if she's ready to talk to you yet. Are we still going to Amity tomorrow?_

 _E: No. I'll send Peter and Jasper. I trust them to handle things. If senior leadership is needed I trust you to handle it._

 _F: I showed that text to Tris. You just took the first step in fixing your marriage. Proud of you man._

 _E: I take it she still won't talk to me._

 _F: Give her the space she asked for._

 _E: Please tell her I love her. I fucked up so bad._

 _F: Are you alone?_

 _E: Max is here._

 _F: I'll be back later. Don't do anything idiotic._

I toss my phone on my bed and begin pacing the room.

"Eric, why don't you come with me? Dana is making dinner, and she always makes more than the two of us can eat. Come on." Max prods.

"I want to be alone." I reply.

"Eric, I'm not going to let you be alone. Not like this. So, you can either come with me or I have Dana bring dinner to us." He retorts.

"Fine." I sigh and we leave the apartment.

 **Tris** **POV**

Tobias hasn't taken his eyes off of me since we left Dauntless. I can tell he's worried, and torn between being here with me or back at Dauntless to be there for Eric. He's helped me get the twins settled in, he stayed for dinner and he's still here offering his quiet but steady support.

"You don't have to stay." I say quietly. We are sitting at my parent's kitchen table while we watch them play with their grandchildren.

"It's fine. I already sent Ray a text and she's perfectly ok with me being here. Her sisters have been staying with us because of the unrest in Amity anyway, so not only does she have company she has help with Carson and Caris." He replies.

"So you knew he was filtering my email?" I ask.

He takes a deep breath. "I didn't know _how_ he was keeping the Amity situation from you, just that he _was_ keeping it from you. I thought he was going to tell you well before now though."

"Why would you keep that from me?" I implore. He's looking at anything but me and shifting nervously in his chair.

"Tobias, look at me." He cringes slightly at my use of his given name before meeting my eyes. "Please tell me what you know."

"Tris, I didn't know he'd gone into your email that way. I thought maybe you just hadn't had the time to read all of the communications. You've been distracted lately, and honestly I thought that you and Eric might be having marriage problems so I definitely had no plans of interfering in anything to do with the two of you outside of work." He explains.

I don't say anything and I turn away from him and watch my children happily play with their grandparents. My mom looks up and catches my eyes before whispering something to my father. He nods and my mom stands up and walks over to where Tobias and I are sitting.

"Your father and I are going to take the twins for a walk if that's ok with you." She says and I nod. We help her get the twins ready and I hug and kiss them until they giggle. My father gives me a kiss on the forehead before they all exit the house.

Tobias and I sit in relative silence for several minutes before I finally speak. "We weren't necessarily having marriage problems, but there were some issues that were putting a huge strain on our relationship. It was mainly his workload, and his inability to delegate. We had made a promise to each other that when we had kids we'd always be home to have dinner together as a family. He hasn't done that in over two months."

"Is that the reason you haven't told him you're pregnant?" He asks carefully.

"I didn't know." I answer back quietly. He cocks his head to the side and furrows his brows at me. "Without getting into more information than you need to know, I had no idea I was pregnant. I had no symptoms, well other than missing my period but I was too busy and scatterbrained to really pay it much attention. Anyway, I just found out today."

"And Eric doesn't know?"

"Obviously not." I sigh. "I tried to talk to him but he told me he was too pissed to deal with me right now."

"Fuck. The texts right?" He asks and I nod. "I told him he was being an asshole."

"I see it did a whole lot of good." I reply angrily and then shake my head. "I'm sorry, this isn't your fault."

"You should talk to him, obviously once you both have calmed down." He replies. I watch as he types something on his phone and then sets it down on the table between us. "How far along are you?"

"Almost four months." I reply and he shakes his head.

"I thought I heard you say Tucker would have a baby brother. I take it you know for sure?" He asks and I nod.

"You're not telling him are you?" I ask in a sudden panic.

"God no, that's not my news to share. I am telling him you and the kids are ok though. He's worried." He replies. "He wants to talk to you."

"No, I can't right now." I reply stoically.

I zone out as he continues to exchange texts with Eric. I feel him nudging my hand. "Hey, can you at least read this?" He asks and I nod. He hands me his phone and I look at the two texts on the screen.

 _F: She's calmer, but I'm not sure if she's ready to talk to you yet. Are we still going to Amity tomorrow?_

 _E: No. I'll send Peter and Jasper. I trust them to handle things. If senior leadership is needed I trust you to handle it._

"Wow. He's delegating." I say quietly while just staring down at the phone. Tobias gently takes the phone from my hands.

"That's good, right?" He asks.

"Yeah, it's a start." I agree.

The two of us continue talking, both successfully tiptoeing around the obvious discomfort I'm feeling in talking about Eric. He talks about Carson and Caris, and about life in general as a husband and father.

"I'm proud of you Tobias."

He looks over at me with a quirked eyebrow. "For what?"

"At one time you were adamant that you were never having children, and now you are one of the best fathers I've ever known."

He smiles at me, the same lopsided grin that I've always loved about him. We continue to talk idly until my parents come in with two sleepy toddlers in tow. Tobias bids us all goodbye and I help my parents bathe and change Harper and Tucker and get them tucked into their beds before retreating downstairs.

"Do you want to talk about it?" My mom asks once we are settled downstairs on the sofa. My dad glances over at us from his spot on the chair.

"The short version is that Eric overstepped his authority with work matters. Well, actually more like abused his authority. He blocked important information from me, things from Johanna regarding the unrest in Amity. He made me feel like I'm incapable of performing my leadership duties." I reply.

My father's expression is stern and my mother doesn't say anything, instead I hear her take and release a deep breath.

"Beatrice, you don't have to go into details, and as a leader in this city it's probably best you didn't. There are punishments in place for leaders abusing their authority. Just tell me this, is it something that we need to pursue legal action on?" My dad asks.

"Oh god no, please don't, it's something he and I can handle once we've both calmed down enough to talk about it." I reply.

"Is there something more honey? You left your husband and brought your children with you. This seems like more than a work disagreement." My mom asks.

I take a deep breath and consider how to answer her question. "Most of the tension in our marriage is stemming from work when I think about it. His inability to delegate, the incident with him blocking information from me and then the promise we made to each other to always eat dinner together as a family. That issue goes hand in hand with his inability to delegate though. Just like he was going to be leaving for an assignment in Amity within the next 24-48 hours and he had yet to even tell me." I watch as my mother's eyebrows raise in surprise.

"I neither condone nor excuse Eric's behavior; however I do know he loves you and your children very much." My mom replies.

"I know he does. He's an amazing father and husband. I didn't come here because I wanted to end my marriage; I just knew we needed some space before we continued to do more damage to each other with our words. We had a pretty nasty fight about this, and we both said things to each other that we've never said before." I sigh.

"This was your first fight like this, wasn't it?" Mom asks.

"Well, kind of. We went through that dark time when we lost Gunnar. We also had a disagreement about something that happened when I was in Abnegation in the safe house with you all. But as for fighting, this really is the first time we've blown up at each other the way we did." I remark.

"So, after almost five years of marriage and dealing with issues and events that have broken other couples you've had a few arguments along the way and just one major fight. I'd say you two are extremely well matched." Mom replies.

"I agree with your mother. Beatrice, you know at first I didn't know what to think about Eric as a leader or man but getting to know him through our leadership interactions showed me that I couldn't judge a book by its cover. When I learned of your marriage I was worried simply because by all appearances it was obvious to me that you had jumped from one relationship into another without a lot of time or thought. I didn't think it would work, and that's not because I didn't trust your judgment in choosing a husband, it was simply because I didn't believe there was any way you could love him after leaving Tobias so quickly. I was wrong. I'm proud of the two of you and of the family you've built." My father says.

To say I am speechless would be an understatement. In Abnegation, praise isn't given freely, and for as blurred as the faction lines have become my parents are still very much the traditional Abnegation couple. I stand to hug my father with tears in my eyes.

"Thank you dad." I say. He holds me close and kisses my forehead. "And thank you too mom. Sometimes it's nice to just have someone to talk to when life seems to be smothering me."

"No matter how old you are or how many grandchildren you give us you will always be our baby girl." Dad says with a smile.

We sit together and talk for a while and take the time to catch up and truly enjoy each other's company. My parents head upstairs to go to bed and I finally check my phone for messages.

 _E: I'm sorry. I want to talk to you to tell you that in person but I need you to know that I was wrong._

 _E: I love you._

 _E: Tris, please say something._

 _E: I'm sorry._

 _E: I'm not going to Amity. Things will change baby I promise._

 _E: I love you so much. I miss you, the apartment is too quiet without you all._

 _E: I hate the thought of sleeping apart tonight. I'm so sorry baby._

I check the time stamp and the last text was sent just three minutes ago. I decide to reply.

 _T: I love you too. I'm sorry for taking off on you the way I did. I just needed space._

 _E: I was so wrong. I'm so sorry. I miss you all. I'll do my best to give you the space you need but baby please don't leave things like this. I need you._

I look at my phone for several minutes before I finally swallow my pride.

 _T: I need you too. Will you come here?_

 _E: Leaving right now._

I spend the time that I'm waiting for Eric tidying up the house for my parents. I feel like I've swept the floor and folded the blankets a hundred times when I hear a gentle knock on the door. I let my husband in and he immediately puts his arms around me.

"Tris, I was wrong and I'm so sorry baby. I should have never interfered with your work. It was an invasion of your privacy and I should have never shielded you from the truth. I'm so sorry." He says.

"Do you think I'm a good leader Eric?" I ask.

"Yes, without a doubt." He replies.

"Why would you keep this from me then?"

"I shouldn't have. Tris, I almost lost you twice. It's hard for me to involve you in any situation that may put you in harms way. You're the mother of my children, you're my wife, my partner, my best friend, you're everything to me baby. You've been so stressed lately and I know that I attribute to that greatly with my work schedule but baby I promise you that I'm changing that right now. I'm going to delegate more and work less. I'm going to even things out and I will fill the last two junior leader positions too, one of which will be Rayne if she wants to come back."

I look up sharply when he says this. "You're going to let her back into leadership?" I ask.

"Yes, I've been a fool to keep her away. She and Four have been great together and here I sit still holding a grudge. She'll be easy to bring back up to speed and we can discuss as a team who should be the last of our junior leaders." He replies.

"Ok." I say softly and he presses his forehead to mine.

"I love you. I'm so sorry that I made you feel inferior. You, Harper and Tucker are the most important things in my life. I will keep my promises to you."

"I love you too." I whisper and he leans in and presses his lips to mine. "Eric, there's something I do need to tell you."

"What is it?" He asks.

"You're going to be a father again." I whisper.

"What?" He asks as he leans back. "Tris are you serious?"

"Yes. I found out today. Baby, I'm almost four months pregnant."

"What? How?" He asks. The flabbergasted look on his face is adorable and I can't help but laugh.

"Well, we have a lot of sex, and when..."

"Beatrice Coulter! You know what I mean. I know exactly how you got pregnant, I'm just wondering how you're almost four months along and didn't know. Is everything ok?" He asks.

"I'm fine, our baby is fine. I'm a little anemic, which is to be expected since I'm fifteen weeks pregnant and have had no prenatal care. Marlene's given me supplements to help with that along with prenatal vitamins. My blood pressure is good and our son is thriving." I smile.

"Son? It's a boy?" He asks with a grin spreading across his face.

"Yes." I nod.

"Holy shit. I can't believe we're having another baby." He smiles and shakes his head. "Do your parents know?" He asks.

"No, I wanted to tell you first. Marlene knows obviously, and Four. He overheard me telling Tucker that he was going to have a little brother. Are you ok?" I ask nervously.

"Of course I'm ok. I'm happy. We're having a baby. We will be together as a family every night, barring any emergencies. I promise I will make changes Tris."

"I know you will." I reply with a yawn.

"You ready to go home?" He asks.

"I can't just leave, my parents are in bed and I don't want to wake the kids. I'll come home tomorrow."

" _We'll_ go home tomorrow. Let's go to bed." He replies.

"You want to sleep in my tiny childhood bed?" I ask him with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, lead the way." He replies.

In a matter of minutes Eric is stripped down to his boxers while I'm wearing his discarded tshirt and we are wrapped around each other in my small bed with Eric gently resting his hands on my belly.

"How'd we not notice this?" He whispers as he runs his palm over the small bump.

"We let things run away from us. Stress, work, kids, my dads health scare...everything." I reply softly.

"I'm going to change all of that. Our family comes first, always." He replies.

"I believe you. I love you Eric." I reply before I drift off.


	35. Target Practice

**AN: Thanks to all of you for your loyalty to this story. I've had a lot going on personally, but I'm back and dedicated to finishing all of my existing stories and even starting some** **new** **ones**. **I** **appreciate** **every** **one** **of** **your** **follows** , **favorites** **and** **reviews**.

 **Thanks to those of you who have reached out personally to me, I can't tell you how much it means. I hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

Chapter 35: Target Practice

Eric POV

The one small bead of condensation travels down the side of the brown bottle, from the lip all the way down to where it sits on the table. I watch it like my life depends on it, then I watch as Four lifts the bottle to his lips and takes a swig before putting it back on the table.

"I know I'm extremely attractive but you are seriously creeping me out with your staring." He quips with a smirk and I flip him the bird before rolling my eyes at him. "What's your deal?"

"I want to drink." I answer simply.

"Then have a beer." Four answers with a shrug.

"No, I want to drink." I sigh. He glances sharply at me.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

What a loaded question. Personally, my life is going rather well. My wife is over eight months into a healthy pregnancy, our son and daughter are thriving and growing up entirely too fast and we've been busy preparing the nursery for the arrival of our newest son. Professionally, things have been messy at best. The unrest at Amity has been ongoing, with no signs of relief. We've had troops cycling in and out for months now, and I've managed to keep my promise to my wife to not only allow our staff to take the lead but to also be home to eat dinner together as a family every night, even when it means we eat late.

"This shit with Amity and the factionless." I reply with a shrug. "I'm trying to be as hands off as possible, but it doesn't seem to be getting better."

"It's also not getting worse." Four adds and I nod.

"Since when are you a glass half full kind of guy?" I ask with a smirk He chuckles before tipping his beer bottle back and draining its contents.

"Eh, wife is a former Amity, she doesn't let me brood. Our kids also keep me on my toes. Speaking of kids, how's number three coming along?" He asks.

"Number three has a name, and he's coming along quite well." I reply with a smile I can't suppress. No matter how dark my moods may get, thinking of my wife and children always makes me happy.

"You didn't tell me you decided on a name, so what is it?" He probes.

"We're keeping with the theme of the kids names ending in er, so our boy is Spencer Andrew." I reply with a smile. Four nods in approval and returns my smile with one of his own.

"I like it. Spencer Coulter. It sounds powerful, like a future head leader." He grins.

My smile falters a bit and he notices. No matter what our past is, the man sitting in front of me is as close to me as my own brother. Ethan even took an immediate liking to Four and considers him our brother as well. His friendship has come to mean more to me than he could possibly know.

"What's really bothering you?" Four presses.

"Four, this stays between us, no one can know, not Tris, and especially not Max." I reply and his eyes narrow at me.

"Eric, the last time I kept something from your wife she punched me in the face. Need I remind you that the last time you kept something from your wife it almost cost you your marriage?" He replies.

"This is different, it's nothing that will hurt her, and it's just not something I'm ready to talk about yet." I reply.

"Fine, but if this blows up I'm playing dumb." He replies before gesturing at me to speak.

"I'm questioning my position as the head leader." I reply, thinking I might as well rip the band aid off. "I am sitting back making decisions, but it's really Will and you that are taking the bulk of the responsibility."

"Are you kidding me right now?" He huffs. "Eric, we have the best leadership team in the city. At the last faction meeting the other leaders were asking us for advice on how to emulate our build. Adding Peter, Jasper and Rayne as junior leaders was a solid decision, and your team is who should be running the faction. It's not a one man or woman show, this all works so why do you doubt yourself?"

"We have a baby on the way, and when Spencer's born Tris and I are going to want to take time off to spend with him. I don't plan on this being our last child either, so how fair is it that two leaders keep taking time off and leaving the responsibility to the rest of the team? The two senior leaders at that."

"This is really what's bothering you?" He asks with amusement in his voice. I scowl at him and he laughs. "You worry about the dumbest shit. No one cares that you two take time off to be with your family. Heck, I enjoy it because I get to play head leader and boss people around like a dick."

"I think about stepping down some days." I shrug.

"Look, I'm not here to stroke your ego but I'm about to give you some real talk so listen up." I glance over and I can tell that while Four isn't drunk, he's had enough to feel comfortable and frankly less guarded. Not that this asshole doesn't shoot straight from the hip with me anyway. "You are probably the best leader this faction has had. That's saying a lot because Max is a legend here and always will be. Max was great man, highly respected and loved by pretty much everyone, but you are too. You have taken leadership to a whole new level with the laws you've fought for and against, the way you've built up the staff, the improvements you've made around the faction and the relationships you've built with the other city leaders. You are great. There's no one here who questions a word that comes out of your mouth. You and Tris aren't looked at like this golden couple of Dauntless, you're both looked at as leaders first, and you have earned people's respect. Go and have as many babies with your wife as you want Eric, this faction has and always will be yours to run."

I shake my head slightly in surprise at the frank, but incredibly kind words that he just spoke to me.

"Thanks." I reply simply.

"Thanks aren't necessary when I speak the truth. If you want to step down for another reason then it's on you, but don't for a second think this faction doesn't want you exactly where you are. We need you." He replies.

He signals the bartender over and orders us each a beer. I glance down at my watch and notice it's a bit later than I expected.

"I wonder why Tris isn't back from Abnegation yet." I muse as I lift the bottle to my lips.

"You know how things are when Natalie and Andrew see the kids. It takes her an hour just to say goodbye." He chuckles. "Plus Ray and our two are with her, they may never let them leave."

I grab my phone and send a quick text to my wife which she almost immediately returns.

 _E: Hey hon I just wanted to make sure all was ok._

 _T:_ _Yeah_ , _sorry_ _for_ _not_ _texting. Mom and dad don't want the kids to leave. They are trying to convince Rayne and me to leave_ _all_ _four_ _of_ _them_ _here_.

 _E: Think they are up for that?_

 _T: They certainly think they are. What do you think?_

 _E: Let them enjoy their grandkids while they can. That's my opinion, but you do what you think is best. I love you._

 _T:_ _I_ _love_ _you_ _too_ , _will_ _text_ _you_ _soon_.

"Her parents want to keep all of our kids. They are gluttons for punishment." Four says with a laugh while looking at his own phone.

"They enjoy the grandkids. Max and Dana are the same way here." I shrug.

"You know, it means a lot that the Prior's and the Tucker's both have taken Ray, me and the kids in as their own family. I mean Ray has a huge family and they are pretty accepting of me, but the Prior's and Max and Dana treat me like their own. I've never had that." Four muses.

"I get it. My relationship with my parents isn't anything like what you went through, but Max and Dana for all intents and purposes are my family." I reply and he nods along with me.

"That is true. So, I have to ask why haven't you talked to Max about your leadership concerns?" He asks.

"He'd smack me upside my head and call me an idiot." I reply with a laugh before taking another sip of my beer.

"Who'd smack you upside your head and actually live?" Zeke asks as he plops down in a chair next to Four.

"Max. What are you doing here? I thought you were on duty tonight." I ask.

"Nope, I've got a full staff and they are holding down the fort. I can't keep staring at the damn monitors." He replies. A beer is set down in front of him without him even asking and he grins. "We should give Carl a raise. Best fucking bartender in town."

"Indeed." Four replies. "Where's Shauna?"

"With Marlene. She's been out of sorts with Uri visiting the troops in Amity. Uri video chats her every day but she's still uneasy." Zeke replies.

"I hate that I have Uri and Jasper out there while I sit in here drinking a beer." I reply.

"You're the top of the food chain big boss. Besides, these kids know what they signed up for when they took the leadership spot. Uri especially doesn't mind spotting you because he doesn't want you away from Tris." Zeke replies.

"Yeah, I know. Doesn't make me feel any better though." I shrug.

"Max may need to come down and smack you upside the head." Zeke chuckles.

"I'm going to text the old man, he isn't on grandkid duty so he should bring his ass down here." Four adds and I watch him send a quick text.

"Mind if I join you?" Peter asks as he approaches. I shake my head and gesture with my bottle at the seat next to me. "How'd you three manage to be family free for an evening?"

"Shauna and the kids are with Marlene." Zeke replies.

"Ray and Tris are at the Prior's" Four chimes in. "Where's Syl?"

"Out fucking whoever behind my back." Peter replies. We watch as he orders a double shot of tequila, drinks it and then gestures for another.

"Whoa, what?" I ask.

"A leopard doesn't change its spots my friend. She's doing to me the same thing she did during her first marriage." He shrugs. "It's been pretty done between us for a while anyway. Just trying to do whatever I can to save the marriage but it just isn't in the cards. You three are lucky to have the women you have. Dedicated."

Four clears his throat next to me and I shoot him a sympathetic look. No matter how much time passes and how great things are between Rayne and him, he doesn't forget the affair that almost cost them their marriage. Max soon walks over and we move our small group to a table.

"Good evening boys." Max says with a smile. "Thanks for letting the old guy crash the party."

"We invited you so no crashing necessary. Want a beer?" Four asks and Max nods before watching Four head towards the bar.

"Where's my daughter in law?" Max asks me.

"Abnegation with Rayne and the kids visiting my in laws." I reply.

We sit together talking and drinking where soon Will has also joined the group, after Christina and Ava joined Shauna, Marlene and the kids.

"I seem to remember that the last time we sat down in this bar and shared drinks and stories you ended up married at the end of the night." Max says with a smile.

"I sure as shit did. Best fucking decision I've ever made." I reply with a wide smile of my own. "So we're coming up on five years. What the hell do I do for an anniversary like that?"

"Give her another kid?" Zeke offers.

"She'll still be pregnant with this one you dumbass." Four says while shaking his head.

"This is true; my anniversary is in less than three weeks." I add.

"Sex." Zeke offers again.

"When do you know those two to not go at it? I'm pretty sure the sex is a given." Will chuckles.

"It's good. So damn good." I muse and Four makes a gagging noise from next to me. I look over at him before continuing. "If our kids are at their grandparents tonight, just think of all the things I can do to my wife."

"Alright son, I don't think I can take this conversation." Max says while laughing heartily. "I think it's pretty obvious that you love your wife. Hell, you could barely keep your hands off of her on your wedding night, and we heard just how much the two of you enjoyed each other in her office."

I can feel the heat rising to my face at his comments. "Um, you heard…?" I stammer.

"I'm pretty sure the whole faction heard. The office walls are thin." Max smirks.

"This is true, so are the doors. Kind of like when you were late for a meeting because you were doing your wife against your office door." Will adds.

"Fuck me…." I murmur.

"There have been times where I've just walked away from the door when I hear the two of you in there." Peter adds. "Oh and Jasper, that poor Abnegation is scarred for life."

"I think I'll need to soundproof my office." I reply with a smirk and Max nods his head.

"If those walls could talk…." He begins and Zeke cuts him off.

"No way Max, you are like the father of this table, we absolutely cannot hear anything about you and Dana." He laughs.

"I second that." Four adds.

"Third." I reply.

"You kids." Max laughs while shaking his head.

We continue to talk and drink, some more than others as I plan on staying sober so Tris and I can have a little fun once she's home, especially if we're kid free. I notice that Four leaves the table to take a call and I grab the empty bottles from the table to take to the trash behind the bar.

"Can't have my head leader bussing tables, I'll get Mitch out there for you." Carl says while quickly pouring drinks.

"No worries man, I don't mind. You guys are slammed in here tonight." I reply.

"Yeah, for no damn good reason either. I may need to hire someone part time." He replies and I nod.

"I can make that happen, I'll put in the request for it tomorrow morning."

"Thanks boss." Carl replies with a smile before turning back towards the bar. I head back to our table and listen to the idle talk and laughter from our friends.

"Hey man, we've got to go." Four says as he approaches me.

"What's wrong?" I ask. We have the attention of everyone at the table.

"The girls were in a car accident." Four says anxiously.

"Are they ok? The kids?" I ask as our entire group rushes from the bar.

"Kids weren't in the car, I've already sent a text to Andrew and he said the kids are with them. I didn't tell them what was going on because I don't know, they wouldn't fucking tell me anything over the phone." Four replies angrily.

"None of us can drive." I shout and Max pulls out his phone.

"I'll get Dana. Head to the garage." He commands.

Four, Zeke and I jump into an SUV while issuing commands to Will and Peter. Max and Dana soon join us with Dana heading behind the wheel.

"They're going to be fine." Zeke says from his spot on the other side of Four.

"Did they say anything about their condition at all?" I ask again.

"No, nothing." Four replies.

I feel myself fading away as the worry sets in. This is too much like Gunnar – riding in the back of a vehicle taking me to my pregnant wife who is under distress. What if something happened to her? Or Spencer? We can't go through losing another child and there's no way I can lose my wife. I'm brought out of my internal monologue by a hand on my forearm.

"Stop it. We will not go over any scenario in this car because it doesn't do us a damn bit of good. We will go into that hospital with our shit together and we will be there for our wives. I need you brother, please." Four says in a soft voice. I grip my free hand onto his forearm and we sit for a few seconds before breaking contact. We lean our shoulders against each other and ride the rest of the way to the hospital in silence.

When we arrive we are directed towards the emergency department where we find Rayne. Other than some facial contusions and her arm in a brace she seems unscathed. Four immediately rushes to his wife's side.

"I'm ok honey, it's just a broken arm and a bump on the head. The airbag took the brunt." She says against his shoulder.

"Where's Tris?" I ask.

"She's next door." Rayne replies. I walk over to the next room and find it used, but empty. I see bloody towels littering the floor and I quickly exit the room and walk back to Rayne.

"That room over there?" I ask as I jerk my head towards the room to my right that I just exited.

"Yes, why?" She replies. Max puts his hand on my shoulder and guides me out the door and towards the nurse's station.

"Where's my wife?" I roar.

"Who's your wife?" The dark haired woman replies.

Max's grip on my shoulder tightens. Dana is next to speak. "My daughter in law was brought in, she was involved in a car accident. She's eight months pregnant…"

"Oh, the pregnant one, she's up in OB/GYN, it's on the third floor. Take this elevator." She gestures towards a bank of elevators towards her left.

"Is she… are they…?" I ask.

"Oh gosh sir, no one gave you the update? Let me see…." She rapidly types on the keyboard in front of her. "She's fine, labor was quick so they couldn't give her an epidural but she delivered a healthy six pound baby boy. Congrats dad."

"Wait, what?" I ask.

"Your son and wife are fine. The accident put her into labor, but they're fine sir. Let's go see them, follow me." The nurse replies with a smile as Max, Dana and I follow her to the elevator.

Once we're off the elevator the nurse leads us down a long hallway and stops at a room. "Here you go, congrats again everyone." She smiles.

I'm not prepared for what I see when I open the door. Tris is lying reclined in bed, a few stiches obvious on her eyebrow, her gown is slightly opened and I can see the light hair on the top of my son's head peeking through the opening of her gown.

"Hey baby." She says quietly. "You know our son had to outdo his brother and sister with his entrance."

I walk over to my wife and kiss her forehead gently while laying my hand carefully on our sons' head. He is fast asleep, nuzzled skin to skin with his mother.

"He's perfect." I whisper.

"Yes he is." Tris agrees.

"Are you ok baby?" I ask.

"I'm fine, I just got a nasty bump on my noggin. The airbag deployed, and it knocked some things around and made me go into labor. We're fine though, I promise." She smiles widely at me. "I had to have a natural childbirth. No C-section this time. Spencer just couldn't wait to meet us. Do you want to hold him?"

I nod my head and she gestures towards the side of her bed. I quickly remove my jacket and shirt, and then gently nuzzle our son directly on my chest. Tris moves her bed so we can sit side my side and I take my free arm and wrap it around her.

"Harper and Tucker are going to be so pissed that they missed this." I muse. Tris chuckles next to me.

"I'm sure we can bring them by tomorrow once you both have some rest." Dana replies.

I look down at our sleeping son in awe. He's perfect, ten little fingers and toes, light blonde hair with my facial structure.

"He's got my nose; I sure hope he grows into it." I chuckle. Max shakes his head at me and smiles.

"You'd better hope he looks more like Tris. There's only so much of that ugly mug I can deal with." Max retorts.

"My grandson is beautiful." Dana replies. "Eric he looks exactly like you."

I look down and see she's right. His entire facial structure is mine, from the brow line to the shape of his ears and mouth. I smile broadly.

"He has your eyes too baby. He's a carbon copy of you. I swear there's no part of me in him." Tris replies.

"He feels cold babe." I whisper and she nods. "I'm going to swaddle him and let Max and Dana have their turn."

I change his diaper and wrap him in the blanket like we'd done many times with Tuck and Harper in the past. I hand him over to Dana and we watch as she and Max fawn over their newest grandchild.

"Are you really ok Tris? You're not trying to act tough to keep me from worrying are you?" I ask.

"Baby, I'm fine, I promise you. Is Rayne ok?" She inquires.

"Just a broken arm and some bumps and bruises, she seems fine." I reply. "Baby, what happened?"

She takes a deep breath. "Someone ran us off the road. Before you freak out I've already talked to Goran about it. He was the first Dauntless on site when it happened, and Jack is sending his investigators over too."

"What do you mean someone ran you off the road?" I ask. I can see Max walk towards us while Dana continues to rock Spencer.

As if on cue we are interrupted by a knock against the door frame. We see the familiar black and white uniforms of the Candor along with several of our best Dauntless guards.

"Mr. and Mrs. Coulter, Mr. and Mrs. Tucker we apologize for the intrusion on this family moment. Jack Kang has sent us over to investigate the accident that Mrs. Coulter was involved in. My name is James, this is Patricia and Damion. I take it you know the Dauntless guards already."

I extend my hand and shake each of their hands. "Indeed I do. Let's begin."

"Mrs. Coulter, I just need to ask you a few questions about the accident. We've already spoken with Mrs. Eaton and she's given us what she remembers." James says.

"It's Tris, and yes I'm ready to begin."

"How was it that you and Mrs. Eaton were out driving on that road?" James asks.

Tris glances over me before beginning. I can tell just by the fleeting look in her eyes that what I'm about to hear is something that will potentially push me over the edge I've been teetering on for so many weeks now. I steel my emotions and nod once at her.

"Rayne and I had gone to Abnegation with our children to visit my parents. We'd taken one of the leadership SUV's from the garage, and I drove to Abnegation with the agreement that Rayne would drive back. Rayne chose to use one of the shortcuts that Eric and Four had shown us on a previous trip to Abnegation." She replies.

I think about her answer and realize she and Rayne were on a desolate stretch of road that connects Abnegation and Dauntless directly. It was something Jeanine had put into place years ago when planning her war. I pinch the bridge of my nose with my thumb and index finger in an attempt to ward off the headache I feel brewing behind my eyes.

"Ok, and besides the time that you mentioned your husband had shown you the road, had you driven on it before?" James asks.

"Yes, it's our preferred method to travel between the two factions. We are often in Abnegation visiting with my parents, and we prefer to take the quickest and most direct route especially with two rambunctious toddlers in tow." She replies.

"Is there usually a lot of traffic on that road?" He asks.

Tris shakes her head. "No, it's quite the opposite, the only people who seem to use it are members of our family and our circle of friends."

"I see, so before today had you encountered any other vehicles on that road?" He asks.

I watch her furrowed brows as she thinks. "No, I haven't."

"Ok, now can you describe the vehicle that ran you off the road? Anything you can remember about it will be extremely helpful." James replies.

"It was another black SUV, although it appeared to be a bit older and dirtier. Dauntless is meticulous with vehicle care, and I can't imagine one of our SUV's looking the way this one did. It seemed like more than just one trips worth of dried mud and dirt on it. The windows were dark just like ours, but with as dark as it was outside I couldn't see much more than that." Tris replies. I pull her a little closer to my side and she leans her head against mine.

"Were they driving erratically?" He asks.

"Not at first, no, however they were driving in the opposite direction. I got my best look at the vehicle when they were approaching us." She replies.

"Is this when they drove towards you?"

She shakes her head. "No, they actually made a U-turn at some point and ended up behind us. At first it scared us a little, but we thought we were just being paranoid once they were behind us and travelling at a safe distance. They stayed behind us for miles not doing anything at all."

"Approximately how long did they travel behind you?" James asks.

"I'm bad at distance, but I'd say at least five to seven minutes. It was long enough that Rayne and I were engaged in conversation and no longer even paying attention to the vehicle behind us." Tris replies.

"Ok, can you please describe what happened next?"

I feel the shiver run through my wife's body and I tense up next to her. I remind myself that she needs me calm so I work on my breathing until I relax a bit and I kiss her temple.

"We felt them tap our bumper, it was small at first. But then they rammed up against the back end of our vehicle. Rayne was struggling to keep control of the car, and they kept ramming into us and using their car to push ours towards the edge of the road." She replies. I hear her voice breaking and I wrap both arms around her tightly. "They waited…" She tries to continue but she chokes back a sob.

"Shhh baby its ok. You're here right now. You're ok, Spencer's ok, Rayne is fine… shhh." I whisper and she buries her face in my neck. I can feel her warm tears. I look up at James and his team. "This is too much for her."

"I'm sorry sir, we just need to get as much information as possible to find the perpetrators." He replies.

"I want to finish." Tris says quietly. "They waited for us to be near the bridge on the road. They were trying to push us over the edge. Thankfully Rayne's reaction saved us; she steered back towards the road instead of towards the edge. She still lost control, and we hit the guard rail extremely hard on the other side of the road, but we didn't go over the unguarded side."

I can't hold my anger in anymore. "Who the fuck are these people?" I roar. "They could have killed my wife and child. If our other children had of been in that car…. Fuck!" I yell. Max walks over and puts his hand on my shoulders.

"Look at her, you're scaring her son. Calm down. Your son is in the room too, he doesn't need to hear this. Just take a few deep breaths, or take a walk if you need to. Yelling at this team will accomplish nothing, they are here to find the assholes who did this." Max says.

"Mr. Coulter, sir, there is one possibility we are already exploring. You see, the SUV that your wife and her friend chose to drive today happened to have the mark of the head leader. It's possible that they were targeting you." James says quietly but firmly.

"What?" I ask. Max's head jerks towards James.

"We've heard some chatter from our intel, it's been nothing organized and honestly nothing more than what appears to be disgruntled thoughts, but chatter nonetheless from the factionless who have been attempting to infiltrate Amity. They've seemed to be targeting some of their anger and unrest towards you in particular." James says.

"Why am I just now hearing about this?" I roar.

"Eric…" My attention is focused on Goran when he speaks; he's not only one of our best Dauntless soldiers but someone I've known since my initiation class. "You know yourself how unorganized and unreliable chatter can be. The focus has solely been Amity and their MO seemed to be to gain access to the textiles and goods. Never once has anything been focused on you, until today. We still can't be sure that you are the target, but the combination of the chatter about you and the attack on a vehicle that is technically yours has gotten our attention."

"Goran, this is my family, my wife and our children are in danger." I reply.

"We will put around the clock guards on Tris and Spencer while they are here. Once back in Dauntless we will have around the clock guarding on you, Tris and all of your children. We've blanketed the Prior's and the Tucker's since that's where your children often are as well. No one will get near any of you, not on my watch." Goran replies.

"Has there been any chatter about my family? My wife and children or our parents?" I ask.

Goran glances at James and he nods tersely. "Some mention, yes." Goran replies.

"What?" Max says from beside me. The tension is palpable and we hear whimpers coming from Spencer. I spring up to take my son from Dana and I nuzzle him to my chest while swaying back and forth. I notice he appears to be hungry, so I help Tris get situated and stay covered until he latches on and begins to nurse. I take my place next to them while the conversation continues.

"Mr. Tucker, sir, it's been disorganized chatter and conversation. We've equated it to trash talk for lack of a better term." James replies.

"I take it with this incident this trash talk as you call it will be taken seriously. This is my family whose lives are at stake. If anything happens to any of them…" Max says and Goran cuts him off.

"Max, we will not let anything happen to them. Let us do our jobs, please." Goran says and Max nods. "We've taken enough of your time. Thank you all for your cooperation. Eric, we will be in touch with updates as soon as possible. Please try to enjoy this time with your family. Tris, Eric your son is beautiful."

We exchange our goodbyes and I glance at the tiny blonde head of my son, watching as he nurses.

"You're such a good momma." I whisper and she sighs against me.

"We're a great team." She replies.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you all. You, Harper, Tucker and Spencer are my life."

"I know baby. I won't let anything happen to any of you either. They're going to find who did this and they will make them pay." She says quietly.

I rest my chin on the top of her head and I gently place my hand on my son's back where he is now sleeping nuzzled against Tris' chest. The uneasy feeling that's been plaguing me for months is in full bloom and I silently wonder what exactly is going on outside of Amity, and if I can continue to keep my promise to Tris to stay out of it.


End file.
